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FRONTISPIECE. 

PLAN OF A FRUIT GARDEN. 



120 



BARRY'S 

FRUIT GARDEN. 

BY 

P. BAERY. 
NEW EDITION. 

REVISED AND BROUGHT DOWN TO DATE, BY THE AUTHOR. 
IliLUSTBATED. 





NEW YORK: 

ORAKGE JUDD COMPANY, 

751 BROADWAY. 
1883. 



Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1883, by tl 
ORANGE JUDD COMPANT, 
la tlie OflSce of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 






PEEFACE TO THE REVISED EDITION. 



In undertaking a reyision of this work I found that 
little was to be done except in the lists of fruits. In 
Apples, Pears, Cherries, Plums, Apricots, Nectarines and 
Quinces only a few changes were to be made. Very little 
has been done in the past ten years in the way of intro- 
ducing new varieties of these fruits, especially of such as 
can be recommended for, or are likely to prove worthy of, 
extensive or general cultivation. 

In Peaches and Grapes and what are termed the "small 
fruits " : Blackberries, Raspberries and Strawberries, a 
very large number of new varieties have been introduced. 
These are so many as to make it somewhat difficult and 
embarrassing to select from the mass those which are 
likely to prove of permanent value. This I have endeav- 
ored to do. Those which I have considered worthy, have 
been added to the select lists, while those which are 
merely promising, or of doubtful value, are arranged in 
separate lists. Cultivators who possess the requisite fa- 
cilities will do well to try them all. This experimental 
work is not only interesting and instructive to those en- 
gaged in it, but results are obtained which must be of 
general value. Within a few years there has been a per- 
fect flood of new peaches, grapes, and small fruits, only 
a small number of which will stand the test of time. 
The majority of them in a few years will be forgotten. 
To determine which are to be retained, and which reject- 
ed, is a tedious and expensive work, but it must be done. 

(V) 



\1 PREFACE TO THE KE^ISLD EDITIOX. 

It is a pity that some restrictions cannot be put on tlie 
introduction of new sorts, by requiring a certificate of 
some competent authoritative body. It must ultimately 
come to this, if we are to prevent a waste of time and 
money on perfectly worthless novelties. 

The subject of manures and fertilizers more and more 
attracts the attention of cultivators. At agricultural and 
horticultural meetings, as well as in the press, it is a 
standing theme for discussion. This has led to a better 
appreciation of their value, but there has really been no 
new light shed on the subject. Stable manure continues 
to be the staple and, where it can be had, answers every 
purpose. Lime, ashes, and ground bones are very good, 
and can be safely and freely used to supplement the pro- 
duct of the stable and barnyard. 

Manufactured fertilizers are now used in large quan- 
tities; no doubt all of these have some degree of merit, 
but very many of them, judging from the reports of 
trustworthy chemists and experimenters, are by no means 
worth what they cost. As they are coming into such 
general use we shall soon know more about them. 

The cultivation of orchards and fruit plantations has 
recently been the subject of much inquiry and discussion. 
The result has no doubt been in the main beneficial, al- 
though the question practically remains just where it was. 
It seems to have been settled beyond dispute, by long 
experience and observation, that the ground, in all young 
plantations, should be kept in a state of cultivation, and 
if cropped at all, only with what are called hoed or cul- 
tivated crops. Even these must be kept at sufficient 
distances from the trees to not affect them injuriously, 
either at root or top. When trees have reached the bear- 
ing age, the ground may safely be seeded down to grass 
and kept so a few years. In this case the grass should 
either be fed off, or kept close cut like a lawn, and ma- 
nure be frequently applied on the surface; a light dress- 



PKEFACE TO THE EEVISED EDITIOIS^. Yll 

ing, annually, will yield best results. My own experience, 
with pears especially, is, that the largest crops and finest 
fruit are obtained by keeping the ground among the trees 
clean and well pulverized, but not so deeply worked as to 
disturb the roots. Under this method less manure is re- 
quired than when the ground is kept in grass. 

The depredations of insects continue to increase and 
neither fine fruits, nor garden products of any kind, can 
be secured without prompt and energetic efforts to repel 
their attacks. In regard to those insects which are well 
known as enemies to the fruit grower, and referred to in 
the proper place, nothing new in regard to remedies has 
been discovered, unless it be the application of Paris green 
to prevent the attacks of the codling moth on the apple. 
This will be described in the chapter on Insects and 
Diseases; while it cannot, at this writing, be regarded as 
a complete success, enough has been done to justify us 
in saying that it is promising. If successful, it will be a 
great boon to the orchardists of this country, whose an- 
nual losses by the ravages of this pest amount to millions 
of dollars. 

I have here referred to these subjects at more length 
than may seem proper, because it will naturally be ex- 
pected that in a period of ten years of great activity and 
intelligent investigation, some new light ought to be 
thrown upon them. I trust that the next ten years will 
be more fruitful in this respect. P. B. 

May, 1883. 



INTRODUCTION TO FIRST EDITION. 



The subject of this treatise is one in which almost all 
classes of the community are more or less practically en- 
gaged and interested. Agriculture is pursued by one 
class, and commerce by another; the mechanic arts, fine 
arts, and learned professions by others ; but fruit culture, 
to a greater or less extent, by all. 

It is the desire of every man, whatever may be his pur- 
suit or condition in life, whether he live in town or 
country, to enjoy fine fruits, to provide them for his fam- 
ily, and, if possible, to cultivate the trees in his own 
garden with his own hands. The agriculturist, whatever 
be the extent or condition of his grounds, considers an 
orchard^ at least, indispensable. The merchant or pro- 
fessional man who has, by half a lifetime of drudgery in 
town, secured a fortune or a competency that enables him 
to retire to a country or suburban villa, looks forward to 
his fruit garden as one of the chief sources of those rural 
comforts and pleasures he so long and so earnestly labored 
and hoped for. The artizan who has laid up enough from 
his earnings to purchase a homestead, considers the plant- 
ing of his fruit-trees as one of the first and most important 
steps towards improvement. He anticipates the pleasure 
of tending them in his spare hours, of watching their 
growth and progress to maturity, and of gathering their 
ripe and delicious fruits, and placing them before his 
family and friends as the valued products of his own gar- 
den, and of his own skill and labor. Fortunately, in the 

IX 



X INTIIODUCTIOX TO FIIIST EDITIOX. 

United States, land is so easily obtained ns to be within 
the reach of every industrious mnn ; and the climate and 
soil being so favorable to the production of fruit, Ameri- 
cans, if they be not already, must become truly " a nation 
of fruit growers." 

Fruit culture, therefore, whether considered as a branch 
of profitable industry, or as exercising a most beneficial 
influence upon the health, habits, and tastes of the people, 
becomes a great national interest, and whatever may as- 
sist in making it better understood, and more interesting, 
and better adapted to the various wants, tastes, and cir- 
cumstances of the community, cannot fail to subserve the 
public good. 

Within a few years past it has received an unusual de- 
gree of attention. Plantations of all sorts, orchards, 
gardens, and nurseries, have increased in numbers and 
extent to a degree quite unprecedented ; not in one section 
or locality, but from the extreme north to the southern 
limits of the fruit-growing region. Foreign suj^plies of 
trees have been required to meet the suddenly and [greatly 
increased demand. Treatises and periodicals devoted to 
the subject have increased rapidly and circulated widely. 
Horticultural societies have been organized in all parts ; 
while exhibitions, and national, State, and local conven- 
tions of fruit growers, have been held to discuss the 
merits of fruits and other kindred topics. 

To those unacquainted with the previous condition of 
fruit culture in the interior of the country, this new, plant- 
ing spirit has appeared as a sort of speculative mania; and 
the idea has suggested itself to them that the country will 
soon be overstocked with fruits. This is a greatly mis- 
taken apprehension. After all that has been done, let us 
look at the actual condition of fruit culture at the present 
time. In the best fruit-growing counties in the State of 
New York, the entire fruit plantations, of more than three- 
fourths of the agricultural population, consist of very 



INTRODUCTIOX TO FIRST EDITION. XI 

ordinary orchards of apples. Not a dish of fine pears, 
plums, cherries, apricots, grapes, nor raspberries, has ever 
appeared on their tables, and not a step has yet been taken 
to produce them. People are but beginning to learn the 
uses of fruits, and to appreciate their importance. 

At one time apples were grown chiefly for cider ; now 
they are considered an indispensable article of food. The 
finer fruits, that were formerly considered as luxuries only 
for the tables of the wealthy, are beginning to take their 
place among the ordinary supplies of every man's table ; 
and this taste must grow from year to year, with an in- 
creased supply. Those who consume a bushel of fruit 
this year, will require double or treble that quantity 
next. The rapid increase of population alone, creates a 
demand to an extent that few people are aware of. The 
city of Rochester has added 20,000 to her numbers in 
ten years. Let such an increase as this in all our cities, 
towns, and villages, be estimated, and see what an aggre- 
gate, annual amount of new consumers it presents. 

New markets are continually presenting themselves, and 
demanding large supplies. New and more perfect modes 
of packing and shipping fruits, and of drying, preserving, 
and preparing them for various purposes to which they 
have not hitherto been appropriated, are beginning to en- 
list attention and inquiry. 

Immense amounts of money are annually expended in 
importing grapes, wines, figs, nuts, prunes, raisins, cur- 
rants, almonds, etc., many of which might be produced 
l)erfectly well on our own soil. Pears have actually been 
imported from France by the New York confectioners, 
this present season (1851). These are facts that should 
be well understood by proprietors of lands, and especially 
by those who have allowed themselves to imagine that 
fruit will soon be so plenty as not to be worth the grow- 
ing. 

It is too soon, by a century, to apprehend an over sup- 



XII INTRODUCTION TO FIRST EDITION. 

ply of fruits in the United States, except of some very 
perishable sort, in a season of unusual abundance, in some 
particular locality, where one branch of culture is mainly 
carried on. 

It is because fruit culture has been almost entirely neg- 
lected until within a few years, that the present activity 
appears so extraordinary. A vast majority of the people 
were quite unaw^are of the treasures within their reach ; 
and that in regard to soil and climate, they possessed ad- 
vantages for fruit growing superior to any other nation. 
We had no popular works or periodicals to diffuse informa- 
tion or awaken interest on the subject. For fourteen or 
fifteen years Hovey's Magazine of Horticulture was the 
only journal exclusively devoted to gardening subjects, 
and it only found its w^ay into the hands of the more ad- 
vanced cultivators. We had some treatises on fruits, but 
none of them circulated sufficiently to effect much good. 
Previous to 1845, JS^enrick'^s Atnerican Orchardlst, and 
Manning's JBook of Fruits, were the principal treatises 
that had any circulation vrorth naming. Coxe's work, 
Floy's, Prince's, and some others, were confined almost 
wholly to nurserymen, or persons already engaged and 
interested in fruit cidture in the older parts of the country. 

Mr. Downing's " Fruit and Fruit Trees of America," 
that appeared in 1845, w^as the first treatise of the kind 
that really obtained a wdde and general circulation. 

It made its appearance at a favorable moment, just as 
the planting spirit referred to was beginning to manifest 
itself, and when, more than at any previous pei'iod, such 
a work was needed. Mr. Downing enjoyed great advan- 
tages over any previous American writer. During the 
ten years that had elapsed since the publication of Ken- 
rick's and Prince's treatises, a great fund of materials had 
been accumulating. Messrs. Manning, Kenrick, Prince, 
Wilder, and many others, had been industriously collect- 
ing fruits both at home and abroad. The Massachusetts 



IXTRODUCTIOX TO FIRST EDITION. XIII 

Horticultural Society was actively engaged in its labors. 
The London Horticultural Society had made great ad- 
vancement in its examination and trial of fruits, and had 
corrected a multitude of long standing eri-ors in nomen- 
clature. 

Mr. Downing's work had the benefit of all this; and 
possessing the instructive feature of outline figures of 
fruits, and being written in a very agreeable and attrac- 
tive style, it possessed the elements of popularity and 
usefulness in an eminent degree. Hence it became at 
once the text-book of every man who sought for pomo- 
logical information, or felt interested in fruits or fruit- 
trees ; and to it is justly attributable much of the taste 
and spirit on the subject, and the increased attention to 
nomenclature, that so distinguishes the present time. Mr. 
Thomas's recent treatise, " The American Fruit Culturist," 
on the same plan as Mr. Downing's, is also a popular 
work, and will be the means of diffusing both taste and 
information. Mr. Thomas is a close and accurate ob- 
server, and his descriptions are peculiarly concise, methodi- 
cal, and minute. " Cole's Fruit Book " is also a recent 
treatise, and on account of its cheapness, and the vast ac- 
cumulation of facts and information it contains, is highly 
popular and useful. Besides these, periodicals, devoted 
more or less to the subject, have increased in number, and 
greatly extended their circulation, so that information is 
now accessible to all who desire it. 

The light which has been shed upon fruit-growing by 
these works, and the taste they have created, have not 
only improved old systems of cultivation, but introduced 
new ones. Until within a few years, nothing was said or 
known among the great body of cultivators, or even nur- 
serymen, of dwarfing trees, of the uses of certain stocks, 
or of modes of propagation and pruning by which trees 
are made to bear early, and are adapted to different cir- 
cumstances. The entire routine of the propagation and 
1* 



XTY INTKODUCTION TO FIRST EDITICN. 

management of trees was conducted generally in the sim- 
plest and rudest niannei*. Whether for the garden or the 
orchard, they were propagated in the same manner, on 
the same stocks, and in the same form taken from the 
nursery, planted out, and left there to assume such forms 
as nature or accident might impose, and produce fruit at 
such a time as natural circumstances Avould admit. 

The art of planting fifty trees on a quarter of an acre 
of ground, and bringing them into a fruitful state in four 
or five years at most, was entirely unknown. Small gar- 
dens were encumbered with tall, unshapely, and unfruitful 
trees, that afforded no pleasure to the cultivator; and 
thousands of persons, who are now the most enthusiastic 
cultivators, were entirely discouraged from the attempt. 

Fruit gardening, properly speaking, may be said to 
have only commenced. It is no longer a matter of mere 
utility, but taste also ; and, therefore, adaptation^ variety^ 
and heavty are sought for in garden trees, and modes of 
culture and management. Nothing so distinguishes the 
taste of modern planting as the partiality for dwarf trees, 
and the desire to obtain infofmation in regard to their 
propagation and treatment. 

This has not been anticipated by any of our authors. 
The standard or orchard system alone is fully treated of, 
as being the only one practised ; and this requires so little 
skill in the art of culture, that only the simplest instruc- 
tions have been given. The very elements of the science 
have been unexplained and unstudied, and cultivators in 
the main find themselves both destitute of knowledge in 
regard to the management of trees in the more refined 
and artificial foims, and the sources from which to obtain 
it. But a very small proportion of those engaged or en- 
gaging in tree culture have studied the ])hysiology of 
trees in any degree. Very few have the slightest knowl- 
edge of the modes of growth and bearing of the different 
species of fruits, or even of the difference between wood 



INTKODUCTIOIS" TO FIRST EDITIOl?" XV 

or leat-buds and fruit-buds. Very few understand the 
functions of the different parts of trees, and the relation 
in which they stand one to another ; the principles that 
govern and regulate the growth and maturity, the forma- 
tion of wood, and the production of fruit. Practice is 
no better understood than principle. Persons engaged 
largely in tree-growing will frequently ask the most ab- 
surd questions on the subject of propagation of stocks, of 
pruning, etc. , matters that should be understood by every 
man who has a single tree to manage, but especially in- 
dispensable to those who wish to succeed in conducting 
garden-trees under certa,in modified forms, more or less 
opposed to the natural. The preparation of ground, lay- 
ing out small gardens, the selection of suitable trees, and 
a multitude of minor, but nevertheless important, mat- 
ters, are very imperfectly understood. 

Having for many years devoted much attention to this 
particular branch of culture, and feeling deeply interested 
in its success, and having, by a business intercourse with 
cultivators in all parts of the country, an ample opportu- 
nity of understanding the nature and extent of the infor- 
mation desired, I have prepared the following pages to 
supply it, at least, in part. 

I am well convinced that the work is neither perfect 
nor complete. It has been prepared, during a few weeks 
of the winter, in the midst of other engagements that 
rendered it impossible to bestow upon it the necessary 
care and labor. My original intention was to give a 
few brief directions for the management of garden- trees, 
but it was suggested by friends that it would prove more 
generally useful by adding a sketch of the entire routine 
of operations, from the propagation in the nursery to the 
management in the orchard and garden. This has in- 
volved much more labor than it was intended to bestow 
upon it, or than I could really spare from business. It 
has, therefore, been performed hastily, and, of course. 



XVI II^TRODUCTIOiq" TO FIRST EDITIOlsT. 

in many respects, imperfectly; but yet it is hoped it 
contains such an exposition of principles and practices 
as cannot fail to diffuse among the inexperienced 
much needed information. All doubtful theories, and 
whatever had not a direct practical bearing on the sub- 
jects treated, have been excluded, both for the sake of 
brevity, and to avoid anything calculated to mislead. 
The principles and practices set forth are not new, 
visionary, nor doubtful, but such as are taught and prac- 
tised by the most accomplished cultivators of the day, 
and have been successfully carried out in the daily opera- 
tions of our ov/n establishment. 

For the sake of convenient reference, the different 
branches of the subject have been separated into four 
parts. The first treats of general principles, a knowl- 
edge of the structure, character, and functions of the 
different parts of trees, modes of growth, bearing, etc., 
etc.; soils, manures, modes of propagation, etc. This 
must be the groundwork of the study of tree culture. 
The second treats of the nursery. The tJiird of planta- 
tions, orchards of different kinds, gardens, etc.; their 
laying out and management, and of the pruning and 
training of trees in different forms. The fourth con- 
tains abridged descriptions of the best fruits, a chapter 
on gathering and preserving fruits, another on diseases 
and insects, and another on the implements in common 
use. 

P. B. 

Mount Hope Garden and Nurseries, ) 
Rochester, N. Y. ] 



COI^TEN^TS. 



PART I. 

GENERAL PRINCIPLES. 

CHAPTER I. 

PAGE. 

Names, Desckiptions, and Offices of the Dhtpeeent Paets 

OF FsuiT Teees, . . . . . . 21—69 



CHAPTER n. 



Soils, 



C9--74 



CHAPTER m. 



Maitoees, 



74—80 



CHAPTER TV. 
The Diffebent Modes of Propagating rBuiT Trees, . 80—100 



CHAPTER V. 
Pruning — ^Its Principles and Practice, 



100—118 



PART II. 

THE NURSERY. 

CHAPTER I. 



Soil, Situation, etc., 



121—173 



PART III. 

THE LAYING OUT, ARRANGEMENT, AND GENERAL 
MANAGEMENT OF PERxMANENT PLANTATIONS 
OF FRUIT TREES, SELECTION OF TREES AND 
VARIETIES, AND PRUNING AND CONDUCTING 
TREES UNDER VARIOUS FORMS. 

CHAPTER I. 
Permanent Plantations or Fkuit Trees, . . . 175 — 220 

CHAPTER II. 

Pruning \nd Training applied to the Different Species 

OF Fruit Trees under Various Forms, . . . 220—326 

PART IV. 

SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS, GATHERING AND 
PRESERVING FRUITS, DISEASES, INSECTS, IM- 
PLEMENTS IN COMMON USE. 

CHAPTER I. 
Abridged Descriptions of Select Varieties of Fruits, . 329 — 4S7 

CHAPTER II. 

Gathering, Packing, Transportation, and Preservation 

OF Fruits, ....... 437—449 

CHAPTER ni. 
Diseases and Insects, ...... 449 — 466 

CHAPTER IV. 
NuESERT, Orchard, and Fruit-Garden Implements, . 466 — 480 



P^RT I. 



GENERAL PRINCIPLES 



GENERAL PRINCIPLES. 



CHAPTER I. 

NAMEb, DESCRIPTIONS, AND OFFICES OF THE DIF- 
FERENT PARTS OF FRUIT-TREES. 

Geyieral Remarhs. — A Tree is n, living body, composed 
of many parts, such as roots, branches, leaves, buds, blos- 
soms, fruit, etc. All these have different offices to fulfil, 
assume different forms and characters, and are known and 
designated from one another by different names, when 
subjected to the practical operations of culture. Without 
some knowledge of the names and structure of these dif- 
ferent parts, of the principles that guide their develop- 
ment, their relative connection with, and influence upon 
one another, tree culture cannot be, to any man, really 
pleasant, intellectual, or successful ; but a misty, uncer- 
tain, unintelligible routine of manual labor. 

The industry of our times is peculiarly distinguished 
by the application of science — the union of theory with 
practice in every department ; and surely the votaries of 
the garden, whose labors, of all others, should be intelli- 
gent, will not allow themselves to fall behind, and per- 
form their labors in the dark. 

Fully sensible of the importance of this preliminary 
study, and confident that the minute and practical details 
of culture cannot be well understood without it, I propose 
here, before entering upon the main subject, to describe, 
in as few and as plain words as possible, the structure, 
character, connection, and respective offices of the various 
21 



2:3 



GENERAL PRINCIPLES. 



parts of fruit-trees, and the names by which each is 
known in practice. 

Section 1. — The Root, 



The Root is composed of several parts. 
1st. The collar [A^ fig. 1), whicli is the center of 
growth, or point of union be- 
tween the root and stem, usu- 
ally at or just below the surface 
of the ground. In root grafting 
seedlings, this is the point where 
the graft is set. 

2(1. The body or main root 
{B^ fig. 1), which usually pene. 
I rates the earth in a vertical di- 
rection, and decreases in size as 
it proceeds downwards from the 
collar. It is also called the tctp- 
root. A seedling that has not 
been transplanted has usually 
but one descending or tap-root, 
furnished, in all its length, with 
minute hairy fibres. 

3d. The lateral roots (C, fig. 
1) are principal divisions or 
branches of the main root, and 
take more or less of a spreading 
or horizontal direction. When 
seedlings are transplanted, a por- 
tion of the tap-root is cut oflf, and 
these lateral, or side roots, are 
immediately formed. 

4th. The fibres cr rootlets (Z>, fig. 1) are the minute 
hair-like roots which we see most abundant on trees that 
have been frequently transplanted. Different species of 




Fig. 1.— A TREE. 
A, the Collar ; B, the Main Rcot ; 
C, Lateral Root ; Z>, Fibres ; E, 
Stem, or Tmiik ; i^.Main Branch- 
es ; G, Secondary Branches ; H^ 
Slioots of one year's growth. 



THE ROOT. 23 

trees vary much in their natural tendency to produce 
fibres. Thus the pear and the apple require frequent 
transplanting, and often root pruning, to produce that 
fibrous condition, wliich is necessary to great fruitfulness ; 
"whilst the roots of the paradise apple, used as a stock for 
dwarf trees, and the quince, are always quite fibrous, the 
former never, and the latter seldom, requiring root 
pruning. 

The Spongioles is a term, which was formerly applied 
to the extremities of the root fibres, it being supposed 
that these tips were especial organs through which the 
plant absorbed its food from the soil. Later observations 
have shown that the absorbing surface of the rootlet is 
not at the very extremity, but just back of it ; and that 
instead of there being a spongiole, or spongelet, the spe- 
cial ofiice of which is to take up moisture, all the newly 
formed root surface does this work, in which it is facili- 
tated by great numbers of i^oot hairs^ which are delicate 
jDrojections from the surface, and so minute as to be only 
visible by the aid of a microscope. The root fibres are 
composed of soft, newly formed, delicate tissue, and are 
exceedingly susceptible of injury. The slightest bruise, 
or exposure to a dry or cold air, is fatal to them ; and this 
is the reason why transplanted trees generally receive 
such a severe check, and so frequently die. If trees could 
be taken up in such a way that the root fibres could all, or 
lAostly, be preserved, trees would receive no check what- 
ever. By taking proper precautions, large trees are re- 
moved in midsummer without a leaf flagging. 

The Growth of Moots. — The root increases in length 
by additions to its extreme point only. It does not ex- 
tend throughout its wliole length, as does the joint of a 
stem. This manner of growth allows it to accommodate 
itself to the obstacles that it meets in its course. The ex- 
tremities of the roots, at first, consist of cellular tissue 
only, but soon woody fibre is formed in them, and their 



24 GENEEAL PRINCIPLES. 

internal structure is, essentially, like that of the stem, 
which will be described further along. The material for 
the growth of the root is supplied by the stem and leaves 
above, and these, in turn, are furnished with the crude 
material for their own support and enlargement by the 
roots. The parts of the tree above the surface of the 
ground, and those below it, are dependent each upon the 
other for growth and existence. Practical cultivators 
are familiar with many facts that illustrate the intimate 
relations and mutual dependency of the roots and stems. 
For instance, where one portion of the head or branches 
is much larger or more vigorous than the other, if the 
roots be examined, it will be found that those immedi- 
ately under, or in direct connection with the largest 
branches, will have a corresponding size and vigor. In 
cases where one side of the top of a large tree is cut off, 
as in top grafting, a large number of new shoots are pro- 
duced on the cut branch, and, if the roots be examined 
under, or in connection with this branch, a corresponding 
new growth will be found there. It is quite obvious, 
from these and similar facts, that whatever affects the 
roots or stems of trees, favorably or unfavorably, affects 
the whole tree. If the foliage of a tree be entirely re- 
moved in the growing season, the absorbent action of the 
roots is suspended ; and if the absorbing portions of the 
roots be cut off, the growth of the top instantly ceases. 

Section 2. — The Stem. 

The 8tem is that part of a tree which starts from the 
collar, and grows upwards. It sustains all the branches, 
and forms the medium of communication between the 
different parts of the tree, from one extremity to the 
other. 

Plants, like the grape, with twining, or climbing stems, 
are called vines; and such as have no main stem, but have 



THE STEM. 



25 



branches diverging from the collar, as the gooseberry, 
currant, etc., are called shrubs, or bushes. Where the 
stem is destitute of branches to some distance from the 
ground, it is usually called the trunk. 

Different Farts of the Stem. — A stem, or branch of a 
tree, is composed of the following parts, Avhich are dis- 
tinctly observable when we cut it across. Figure 2 repre- 
sents a portion of a stem of a young tree, one year old, 
A 




— j<^- 



;:i^=fe 



Fig. 2. — SECTION OF A. STEM ONE TEAR OLD— MAGNIFIED. 

A, Bark ; B, Wood ; C, Epidermis ; D, Corky Layer ; E, Green Layer ; F, Inner 

Bark, or Liber; <?, Pith; H, Medullary Rays; /, Woody Fibre; K, Dotted 

Ducts ; X, Spiral Ducts. 

SO cut as to show a cross section, and a longitudinal one 
at the same time. The bark, included in the dotted line 
^, consists of an outer and inner bark. 

The Rind, or Outer Baric, is composed of three layers. 

1. The Epidermis, or Cuticle (C), which is found only 
on recent shoots, and the young parts of trees ; this is 
thin, smooth, and delicate, like tissue paper, and is easily 
separated from the parts beneath it. Next within this is 

2. The Corky Layer {D), w^hich is usually of some 
shade of brown or ash color ; this, seen through the epi- 



26 GENERAL PRINCIPLES. 

dermis, gives to the young growth of trees its peculiar 
color, by means of which the exj^erienced cultivator is 
enabled to distinguish varieties, even when not in leaf. 
"Within the corky layer is 

3. The Green Layer [E), which gives to the young 
shoots their green color. This, as the wood ripens, is 
soon covered by the corky layer. 

The Inner Barlc^ or Liber {F). — This is the interior 
portion of the bark, in immediate contact with the Avood. 
It is composed of perpendicular layers of soft, flexible 
but very tough fibres. It is this part of the bark of the 
Basswood that is used for tying in budding, etc., the tissue 
being separated by maceration. 

The bark remains with these distinct layers, only for a 
few years. It scales off, and falls away in forms varying 
with the kind of tree, but in all cases a portion of the in- 
ner bark is left attached to the tree. In the grape-vine, 
the inner bark, or liber, is renewed each year, and that 
formed the year before is thrown off in long shreds. 

Within the bark we have the wood, and in the center 
the pith. The wood is divided into 

1. The Sap-icood (included in the dotted line JB). — This 
is the youngest, or last formed, layer of wood, immediate- 
ly below the inner bark. It is distinguished in all trees 
by being softer and lighter colored than the older parts. 

2. The Hearty or Perfect wood. — This is the central, 
or interior portion of the stem, or branch, grown firm and 
mature by age. It is generally a shade darker in color 
than the newly formed part, or sap-wood. As the en- 
graving, fig. 2, shows a stem only one year old, this is 
not represented. 

3. The Pith (G). — This is the soft, spongy substance 
in the center of the stem and branches. In soft-woode<i 
species, like the grape-vine, it is large ; in hard-wooded 
species, as the apple, pear, quince, etc., it is small. In young 
shoots it is soft, green, and succulent, and fills an impor- 



THE STEM. 27 

tant part in their development. In the old part it is dry, 
shrivelled, and seems incapable of taking any part in the 
process of vegetation, and this appears evident from the 
fact that trees often continue to flourish after the center, 
containing the pith, has begun to decay. 

Structure of the Stem. — The stem is composed of 
woody fibre and cellular tissue, a substance similar to the 
pith. The woody fibre is arranged in perpendicular lay- 
ers, and the cellular tissue in horizontal layers, running 
from the pith to the bark and connecting them. The 
mingling of these two systems gives to the surface of the 
cross section of a stem the 
beautiful veined or netted ap- 
pearance observable in fig. 3, 
which represents the cross- 
section of an oak branch. The 
perpendicular layers of woody 
fibre are most clearly observ- 
able when we cut a stem ver- 
tically; they are then easily 
separated from one another. Fig. 3. — section of a branch 
The layers, or plates of tissue ^^ ^^^' 

radiating from the center to the circumference of the stem 
and inner bark are called the medullary rays. Two of these 
are shown in fig. 2, marked by the dotted lines M. 

Growth of the Stem. — The stem of a tree is originally 
the extension of the cellular tissue of the seed. As soon 
as leaves are formed they organize new matter, which de- 
scends and forms woody fibres : the layers sent down 
from the first leaves are covered by those sent down 
from the next, and so on, one layer after another is pro- 
duced until the end of the season, when the leaves fall and 
growth ceases. A yearling tree has, therefore, a greater 
number of layers of woody fibre at the collar than at the 
top, and is, consequently, thicker; the second year the 
buds on the first year's growth produce shoots, and these 




28 GENERAL PRINCIPLES. 

organize new layers of woody fibre, that descend and cover 
those of the previous yeai", and thus growth proceeds from 
year to year. Between each year's growth there is gener- 
ally a line, in some cases more conspicuous than in others, 
that marks off the formation of each year, so that we are 
able to reckon the ages of trees with great accuracy by 
these rings. When it happens that a tree, from certain 
circumstances, makes more growth one season than an- 
other, we find the ring of that season larger. The new 
wood in all our northern trees is always formed between 
the inner bark and the last layer of wood, so that one 
layer is laid upon, and outside of another, and the bark 
is continually pressed outwards. 

The new layers of bark are also formed at the same 
place, or within the previous one. From this mode of 
growth, it results that each layer of wood is more deeply 
imbedded as others are formed above it ; and each layer 
of bark is pressed outwards as others are formed within 
it. In some cases, as in the cherry, for example, the bark 
is so tough as not always to yield to the general expansion 
of the tree, and slitting is resorted to for the purpose of 
preventing an unnatural rupture, which would eventually 
take place by the continued pressure of growth from 
within. 

Section 3. — Branches. 

Branches are the divisions of the stem, and have an 
organization precisely similar : they are designated as, 

1st. Main Branches (F, fig. 1) ; those that are directly 
connected with the stem or trunk. In pyramidal trees, 
they are called lateral branches. The branches of different 
species and varieties of fruit trees, differ much in their 
habits of growth ; and it is highly important to the 
planter to consider these peculiarities, because certain 
habits of growth are better adapted to particular circum- 



BRANCHES. 



29 



stances than others. Thus we have erect branches (fig. 4), 
which produce trees of an upright and compact form. 
Curved erect branches (fig. 5), proceeding almost horizon- 
tally from the stem for a short distance, and then becoming 
erect; these, also, form upright symmetrical heads, but 
much more open than the preceding. Also, horizontal, 
or spreading branches (fig. 6), that form wide-spreading 




Fig. 4. Fig. 5. Fig. 6. 

DIFFERENT HABITS OF GROWTH OF TREES. 

Fig. 4, Erect : Fig. 5, Curved Erect ; Fig. 6, Spreading, or Horizontal. 

heads with irregular outline. And, lastly, drooping 
hfanches, when they fall below the horizontal line. The 
branches of most varieties of apples and pears become 
pendulous when they have borne for some time ; and even 
in young trees of particular varieties, some of the branches 
assume a drooping and irregular habit. 

2d. Secondary Bra^whes (G, fig. 1), are the divisions 
of the main branches : occasionally those near the stem 
take such a prominent part in forming the outline of the 
tree, as to assume all the character of main branches, ex- 
cepting in position. 



30 



GENERAL PHINCirLES. 



3d. Shoots (JI, fig. 1). This is the name by which 
young parts are dej^ignated from the time they emerge 
from the bud until they have completed their first season's 
growtli. These have also important peculiarities that 
serve to distinguish certain varieties. They are variously 
designated as stout or slender^ stiff or flexible, erect or 
spreading, short-jointed if the buds be close together, 





Fig. 7. Fig. 8. Tig. 9. 

Fij?. 7, Wood-branch of the Apple; Fig. 8, Fruit-branch; A, B, C, Young Fruit- 
spurs on two-year-old wood ; Fig. 9, Fruit-branch of the Pear ; A, B, C, Young 
Spurs on two-year-old wood. 

and long-jointed when the contrary. The colors of their 
barks are also strikingly difierent, and form very obvious 
distinctions amongst varieties. The Snow Peach, for in- 
stance, has pale greenish shoots, by which it is at once 
distinguished. The Jargonelle, Rostiezer, and many other 
varieties of the pear, have darh purplish shoots, while the 



BUANCIIES. 



31 



Dlx and St. Germain are quite yellowish^ the Gioii Mor- 
ceau, grey or drab^ and the Bartlett and Buffum quite 
reddish, Tiie shoots of certain varieties of apples and 
pears, and especially plums, are distinguished by being 
downy, as they are furnished to a greater or less extent 
with a soft and hairy covering — in some cases barely ob- 
servable. 

4th. Wood-Branches (fig. 7), are those bearing only 
wood buds. 

5th. Fruit-Branches are those bearing fruit buds ex- 
clusively. They are presented to us under different forms 
and circumstances, all of which it is of the highest im- 
portance to understand. 

In kernel-fruits, such as the apple and pear, the most 
ordinary form of the 
fruit branch is that 
generally called the 
fruit-spur {A, B, (7, 
figs. 8, 9, 10). It ap- 
pears first as a promi- 
nent bud, as in fig. 8, 
on wood at least two 
years old; and for 
two or three seasons it 
produces but a rosette 
of leaves, and con- 
tinues to increase in 
length, as in fig. 10. 
After it has produced 
fruit, it generally branches, and, if pi-operly managed, 
will bear fruit for many years. Apple and pear-trees of 
bearing age, and in a fruitful condition, will be found 
covered with these spurs on all parts of the head, except 
the young shoots. In addition to the fruit-spur, there 
are, on the kernel-fruits, ^XendiQY fruit branches, about as 
large as a goose quill, and from six to eight inches in 




Fig. 10.— PRUIT-BRANCH OF THE PEAR. 

A, B, C, Older Spurs. 



32 



GENERAL PRINCIPLES. 



length (fig. 11) ; the buds are long, narrow, and promi- 
nent, and the first year or two after their appearance, 
produce but rosettes of leaves, yielding fruit generally 
about the third year. On trees 
well furnished with fruit-spurs, 
these slender branches are of little 
account, but they are useful on 
young trees not fully in a bearing 
state. They are generally pro- 
duced on tho lower or older parts 
of the bianciies or stem, and, in 
the first place, are slender shoots 
with wood-buds only ; but owing 
to their unfavorable position and 
feeble structure, they receive only 
a small portion of the ascending 
sap, and the consequence is, they 
become stunted, and transformed 
into fruit-branches. In pruning 
young trees, slender shoots are 
frequently bent over, or fastened 
in a crooked position to transform 
them into fruit-branches of this 
kind ; but this will be treated of 
in its proper place. 

Certain varieties of apples have 
a natural habit of bearing the fruit 
on the points of the lateral shoots ; 
and frequently these terminal 
fruit-buds are formed during the 
first season's growth of the shoot. Fig. 12 is an example ; 
yt, is the point where a fruit was borne last season ; JB, a 
shoot of last season ; and C, its terminal bud, which is a 
fruit-bud. Tiie fruit-branches of the peach, apricot, and 
nectarine, are productions of one season's growth ; the 
fruit-buds form one season and blossom the next ; but as 



Fig. 11. Fi<?. 12. 

Fig. 11, slender fruit-branch 
of the apple— all the buds are 
fruit-buds. Fig. 12, a branch 
of the apple showing the 
tendency of some A'arieties to 
bear on the points of the 
brandies. A, the point where 
the fruit was borne last sea- 
son ; B, a shoot of last year ; 
C. its terminal fruit-bud. 



BRANCHES. 



33 



on the apple and pear, there are different 
forms of the fruit-branch. 

In the first place the fruit-spxir (fig. 13), a 
group of buds like a bouquet ; these are little 
stunted branches on the older wood that have 
assumed this form. The most important fruit- 
branches of these trees are the vigorous shoots 
of last season's growth, containing both fruit- 
and wood-buds (fig. 14), and the slender fruit- 
branches, bearing all single fruit-buds, except 
a wood-bud or two at the base. Fig. 15, 
represents such a branch 
of the peach, A and JB 
being wood-buds. The 
fruit - branches of the 
plum and cherry^ and 
the gooseberry and cur- 
rant are similarly pro- 
duced. A yearling shoot 
for instance, the second 
season, will produce a 
shoot from its terminal 
bud, and probably shoots from two or three 
other buds immediately below the terminal, 
whilst those lower down will be transformed 
into fruit-buds, and produce fruit the third 
season. Fig. 16 is a branch of the cherry. A 
is the two-year-old wood ; j5, one year ; C and 
Z>, fruit-spurs on the two-year-old wood, with 
a wood-bud usually at the point. Fig. 17 is a 
fruit spur from the older wood ; A^ the wood- 
bud at its point. Fig. 18 is a branch of the 
plum ; A^ the two-year-old wood ; B^ one year 




Fig. 13.— FRUIT-SPUR OF 

THE PEACH ON THE OLB 

WOOD. 



14. 



Fig. 14, mixed wood and fruit-branches of the peach ; 5, C, 2), E^ fruit-buds ; 
F^ (r, //, leaf-buds ; J", double buds ; C, triple buds, the two side buds being fruit- 
buds, and the center one, a leaf-bud. 

2* 



34 



GEXEKAL PRINCIPLES. 



old; G and Z>, spurs. Fig. 19 is a fruit-spur from older 
wood. The wood-bud in the centre of these groups of 
buds on the spur enables them to increase m length every 




Fig. 16. 



Fiii-. 17. 



Fiff. 15. 



Fig. 15, a slender fruit-branch of the peach ; all the buds except A and B, and 

the terminal one, are fruit-buds. Fig. 16, branch of the cherry; J., two-year-old 

wood ; B, one year; Cand Z*, fruit-spurs. Fig. 17, fruit-spur of the cheriy; the 

bud_4, in the center of the group, is a wood-bud. 

season. New buds are produced to replace those that 
bear, and so the spurs continue fruitful for several years, 



BUDS. 35 

according to the vigor of the tree, and the manner in 
which it is treated. 

The fruit-branches of the quince and the medlar are 




Fig. 18. Fig. 19. 

Fig. 18, branch of the plum; ^, two-year-old wood; B, one year old ; C and 
D, spurs. Fig. 19, fruit-spur of the phun on the old wood. 

slender twigs on the sides of lateral branches, and the 
fruit is borne on their points. 

Section' 4. — Buds. 

1st. The Nature and Functions of Buds. — In a practi- 
cal point of view, buds are certainly the most important 
organs of trees, because it is through them we are enabled 
completely to direct and control their forms and their 
productiveness. Whoever, therefore, wishes to become 
a skilful and successful tree culturist, must not fail to 



o6 GENERAL PRINCIPLES. 

make himself familiar with all their forms, modifications, 
modes of development, and the purposes they are ad.ipted 
to fulfil in the formation of the tree and its products. The 
immediate causes of the production of buds on the grow- 
ing shoots of trees, and the sources from which they spring 
or in which they originate, are alike thus far mysterious, 
notwithstanding they have been the subject of a vast deal 
of research and speculation among the botanists and vege- 
table physiologists. We are able, however, to trace clear- 
ly and satisfactorily the objects they are intended to fulfil 
in the development of the tree, their connection with, and 
dependency upon other parts, and the circumstances un- 
der which they can be made to accomplish specific pur- 
poses. 

Every bud contains the rudiments of, and is capable 
under favorable circumstances of producing, a new indi- 
vidual similar to that on which it is borne. 

This fact is clearly demonstraled in the propagation of 
ti'ees by budding, where a single eye is removed from one 
shoot and placed in the wood of another, to which it 
unites and forms a new individual similar to its parent. 
So in propagation by eyes, as in the grape-vine, where a 
single bud with a small portion of wood attached, becomes 
a perfect plant. 

Every perfect bud we find on a young yearling tree or 
shoot is capable of being developed into a branch. Na- 
turally, they all do not develope ; but we know that by 
the application of art they can be readily forced to do so. 

For instance, the buds of a yearling tree, if left to take 
their natural course, will only in part produce branches, 
and these will generally be nearer to the extremities, 
where they are the most excitable ; but we can cause the 
lower ones to develope branches, by cutting off those 
above them to the extent that the particular character of 
the species or variety, orof the buds themselves in respect 
to vigor and vitality, may require. Hence it is that the 



BITDS. 37 

forms of trees are so completely under our control when 
we possess the requisite knowledge of the character and 
modes of vegetation of buds. 

2d. The Names mid Characters of Buds. — All buds are 
either, 1st, terminal, as when on the points of shoots ( (7, 
fig. 20) ; 2d, axillary, when situated in the angle made by 
the projection of a leaf from the shoot or branch {A, B, 
fig. 20) ; 3d, adventitious or accidental, when originating 
accidentally, as it were, or without any regularity, on the 
older parts of trees, and not in the axil of a leaf. They 
are often produced by the breaking or cutting ofi" of a 
branch, or by a wound or incision made in the bark. In 
the management of trained trees, special means are taken 




Fig-. 20. 
J., a superior bud ; 5, inferior ; C, terminal : A and 5, axillary. 

to produce these buds on spaces of the trunk that it is de- 
sirable to fill up. We sometimes see instances of such 
buds on the stumps of old trees. 

The terminal and axillary buds produced on young 
shoots, seem to have a different origin from these ac- 
cidental buds — the former are connected with the pith of 
the shoot, as we may see by dissecting them. On cutting 
into a young shoot below a bud we find a cylinder of pith 
entering into the bud from the pith of the shoot, but we 
do not find this connection existing \x\ the case of the 
adventitious buds. 

Practically considered, buds are classified as follows: — 
1. Lateral, — Those on the sides or circumference of 



38 GENERAL PKINCIPLES. 

shoots, being the axillary buds of the botanist (yl, B^ fig. 
20). 

2. Terminal. — Those on the points of shoots ( C, fig. 20). 

3. Superior. — Those on the upper side of horizontal 
branches (/4, fig. 20). 

4. Inferior. — Those on the lower side of horizontal 
branches (i?, fig. 20). 

5. Stipylar. — The small, barely visible buds found at 
the base of ordinary buds. 

6. Dorinant or Latent. — These are scarcely apparent 
buds, generally towards the base of branches : They may 
remain dormant for several years, and then, in some spe- 
cies, be excited into growth by pruning close to them. 

Buds are again classed as leaf-buds and fruit-huds. 

7. Leaf-JBuds {F^ 6r, S^ fig. 14), produce either leaves 
or branches ; they difier in form from fruit-buds in being 
in most cases longer and more pointed in the same species. 

These are again designated as — 

Single^ when only one is produced at the same point 
(H, fig. 14). 

Double^ when two are together (/", fig. 14). 

Triple^ when in threes ((7 and e/J fig. 14). 

These double and triple buds are almost peculiar to the 
stone fruits, and especially the peacli, apricot, and necta- 
rine. 

The size, form, and prominence of leaf-buds vary in a 
striking degree in different varieties of the same species, 
and these peculiarities are found to be of considerable 
service in identifying and describing sorts. Thus, the 
buds of one variety will be long, pointed and compressed, 
or lying close to the shoot. Others will be large, oval 
and prominent, or standing boldly out from the shoot. 
Others will be small, full, and round. For instance, 
the wood-buds of the Glout Morceau are short and coni- 
cal, broad at the base, and taper suddenly to a very sharp 
point inclined towards the shoot; they have also very 



BUDS. 39 

prominent shoulders ; that is, their base forms a prominent 
projection on the shoot. The scales are also dark, with 
light gray edges. In the Josephine de Malines pear the 
buds are quite remarkable for their roundness, bluntncss, 
and prominence. If shoots of the Bartleit and S^jJcel 
pears, t\\'0 well-known varieties, be compared, although 
they i^resent no decidedly obvious peculiarities, yet they 
will be found very different. Those of the Sechel are much 
broader at the base, more pointed, and lighter colored, 
being a dark drab^ whilst those of the JBartlett are red- 
dish. These miscellaneous instances are chosen simply to 
draw attention to these points, and to show the ordinary 
modes of comparison. When we speak of leaf-buds, we 
have reference only to the simple bud and not to the 
large, pointed, spur-like productions frequently produced 
towards the middle or lower part of young shoots that 
liave made a second growth ; that is, where growth has ceas- 
ed for a while and the terminal bud has been formed, and 
afterwards, in the same season, commenced anew, and 
made a second growth. 

8. Fruit-Buds. — In the early stages of their formation 
and growth all buds are but leaf-buds. Thus, on a young 
shoot of the cherry and the plum, for example, of one sea- 
son's growth, the buds are all leaf-buds. The next spring 
a part of these produce new shoots, and others are trans- 
formed into fruit-buds that will bear fruit the following 
season. The transformation is accomplished during the 
second year of their existence, and it usually happens that 
they are the smallest and least fully developed that are so 
transformed ; the more vigorous pushing into branches. 
In the peach, the apricot, etc., on which the fruit-buds 
are produced in one year, the change from a leaf-bud to a 
fruit-bud occurs towards the latter part of the season. 
The primary cause of the transformation of leaf-buds 
into fruit-buds is not satisfactorily known, although many 
theories exist on the subject. Observation has taught us 



40 GENERAL PRINCIPLES. 

many things in relation to it. It seems that all trees must 
acquire a certain maturity, cither natural or forced, in 
order to produce blossoms or fruit. A tree that is fur- 
nished with a rich, humid soil, containing an abundance 
of watery nutriment, and left in all respects unrestrained 
in its upAvard growth, may attain the age often or fifteen 
years before it commences to form fruit-buds ; while in a 
soil of a different quality, dry and less favorable to rapid 
growth, or if constrained in its growth by being grafted 
on some particular stock, or by some particular mode of 
training, it may produce fruit in two or three years. 

An apple-tree on a common stock, planted out in ordi- 
nary orchard soil, does not usually bear until it is in most 
cases seven years old, and often more from the bud ; while 
the same variety grafted or budded on a Paradise apple 
stock Avill produce in two or three years at most. We fre- 
quently see one branch of a tree that has been accidentally 
placed in a more horizontal position than the other parts, 
or that has been tightly compressed with a bandage or 
something of that sort, bear fruit abundantly, while the 
erect, unconstrained portion of the tree gives no sign of 
fruitfulness whatever. As a general thing we find that 
where there is an abundant and constant supply of sap or 
nutriment furnished to the roots of trees and conveyed by 
them through the unrestrained channels which the large 
cells and porous character of young wood afford, the 
whole forces of the tree will be spent in the production 
of new shoots; but that as trees grow older, the cells be- 
come smaller, and the tree being also more branched the 
free course of the sap is obstructed, and becomes in con- 
sequence better elaborated, or in other vv^ords more tnc^- 
ture, and commences the production of fruit. Circum- 
stances similar in all respects to these and answering ex- 
actly the same purpose, can be produced by art at an 
early age of the tree ; and this is one of the leading points 
in the culture and management of garden trees, where 



BUDS. 



41 



smallness of size and early fruitful n ess are so highly desir- 
able. This will come under consideration in another place. 

Fruit-buds in most cases are distinguishable from wood- 
buds by their rounder and fuller form ; the scales that 
cover them are broader and less numerous, and in the 
spring they begin to swell and show signs of opening at 
an earlier period. Like the wood-buds they are single^ 
double^ or triple^ according to the number found together. 
They are single in pears, apples, and other trees of that 
class. Single, double, and triple, variously, on the stone 
fruits, gooseberries, nnd currants. 

Fruit-buds are also simple and compound. Simple, as 
in the peach, apricot, and 
almond, each bud of which 
produces but one flower. 
Compound, as in th^plum, 
cherry, apple, pear, etc., 
each bud of which pro- 
duces two or more flowers. 
Those of the plum produce 
two or three, hence we 
find plums usually borne 
in pairs; those of the cher- 
ry four or five (fig. 21), 
and of the apple and pear 
six to eight ; and hence 
we often find these fruits 
borne in clusters. They 
are also lateral or termhicd, as they occupy the sides or 
ends of the branches or spurs on which they are produced. 
The ordinary position of the fruit-buds of different classes 
of trees will be understood from the preceding descrip- 
tions of fruit-branches. 




Fig. 21. — FLOWER OF THE CHERRY, 

SHOWING THE PRODUCT OF A 

COMPOUND BUD. 



43 



GENERAL PRINCIPLES. 



Section 5. — Leaves. 



1st. Structure and Functions of Leaves. — The leaves, 
of all hardy fruit trees cultivated in our climate, are de- 
ciduous — that is, tliey decay and fall in the autumn, and 
are succeeded by others on the return of spring. The 
offices tliey perform during the growing season are of 

the liighest importance 
to the life and health of 
the tree, and deserve 
the most attentive con- 
sideration. 

A leaf (fig. 22) is com- 
posed of two principal 
parts, the leaf -stalky or 
g petiole (yl), which con- 
nects it witli the tree or 
branch, on wliich it is 
borne, and the expanded 
part (^,C,i>,^), called 
the blade. The base is 
the end (C), attaclied to 
the stalk, and the apex^ 
or point {Z>), the op- 
posite one. The length 
is the distance from the 
base to the point ( C to 
Z>), and the widths a line 
cutting the length at 
right angles, and extending from margin to margin {E 
to B). 

The leaf-stalk and its branches, forming the nerves or 
veins of the blade, are composed of woody vessels, similar 
to the woody parts of the tree or branch that bears it, in- 
side of which is a pith, similar to the pith of the tree ; the 
leaf is thus connected with the pith and wood of the 




Fig. 22.— A LEAF or the pear. 

A, the petiole, or leaf stalk ; B, C, Z>, E, the 

blade ; C, the base ; Z>, the point ; Line E^ B, 

the width. 



LEAVES. 43 

shoot, and consequently with the ascending sap, as we 
may readily see, by making a vertical cut tlirough the leaf 
stalk and shoot. The spaces between the veins of the 
leaf are filled up with a cellular substance similar to the 
pith, called parenchyma^ and the whole is covered with 
a thin skin, epidermis. The cellular substance of the 
leaf is connected with the inner bark, and consequently 
with the descending sap, or cambium, that forms the new 
layers of wood. Both surfaces of the leaf are furnished 
with small pores, through which exhalation and absorp- 
tion are carried on ; these are most abundant on the lower 
surface. 

This property of the leaves to receive and give out air 
and moisture through the pores on their surface, has 
caused them to be likened to the lungs of animals, and 
this comparison is, to some extent, correct ; for we know 
that, without leaves, or organs performing their offices, 
trees do not grow; and, in proportion to the natural 
and healthy action of the leaves, do we find the vigor and 
growth of the tree. 

To prove that leaves have the power, in a greater or 
less degree, to absorb fluids, we have but to apply water 
to the drooping foliage of a plant suffering from drouth, 
and see how quickly it becomes refreshed. The dews of a 
single night, we know, too, will revive plants that the heat 
and drouth of the previous day had prostrated; and 
even if we put a flagging plant in a damp atmosphere, it 
recovers. The leaves of a bouquet can be kept fresh for a 
long time by sprinkling them with water. 

That plants exhale moisture and gases, cannot be doubt- 
ed. It is this very exhaling process that causes plants 
to wilt under a hot sun, or in a dry atmosphere. Plants 
that are transplanted with their foliage on, as annuals are 
in the spring or summer, will wilt, and even die, if ex- 
posed to the air and sun ; but if transplanted in a moist 
day, or covered, so that evaporation cannot take place, 



44 GENERAL PKINCIPLES. 

the plant does not appear to feel the removal. So with 
cuttings of many plants thus propagated ; if placed in 
the earth with a certain amount of foliage on, and left 
uncovered, they will immediately die ; but when we place 
a bell-glass or a hand-glass over them, to prevent evapo- 
ration, they remain as fresh as though they had roots 
supplying them with moisture from the soil. It is on this 
account that transplanted trees so often die, when the 
branches and shoots are not in proportion to the roots. 
In transplanting, a portion of the roots is destroyed, 
and all are more or less deranged, so that their functions 
are feebly performed for some time after planting. If all 
the branches and shoots are left on, they will, as usual, 
produce leaves ; but the absorption at the roots being so 
much less than the exhalation of the leaves, the juices 
contained in the tree, previously laid up, soon become ex- 
hausted, the leaves droop and wither, and the whole fabric 
perishes. In budding, too, if the whole leaf were left attach- 
ed to the bud, the evaporation would be so great as to kill 
the bud ; hence we remove all but a portion of the stalk. 
A tree can neither mature its wood nor its fruit without 
the full and healthy exercise of the leaves. If, in the 
growing season, a tree is deprived of its foliage by blight, 
insects, etc., we see that growth is entirely suspended for 
a time, until new leaves are developed ; and if the leaves 
be removed from a tree bearing fruit, we see the fruit 
shrivel and dry up, or ripen prematurely, and become 
worthless. These facts, and many others that might be 
cited, show the intimate connection existing between the 
leaves and the other organs of trees, and the influence 
they have on their grow^th and productiveness. It is be- 
lieved that the opening of the leaf buds in spring induces 
the formation of new roots ; this is doubtful, as new roots 
may be seen forming at times when there are no leaves 
on the tree, and apparently no growth whatever going on 
in the buds. But it is well known that they will soon cease 



LEAVES. 45 

to grow if leaves do not make their appearance. We 
observe in the case of trees, the tops of which have been 
so much injured by drying and exposure, that scarcely a 
sound bud is left to grow ; in this case the roots, although 
in perfect order, remain nearly dormant until new shoots 
and leaves are produced, and in proportion as the leaves 
increase, so do the roots. The fact of the absorption and 
exhalation by leaves of certain fluids, has, to a very con- 
siderable extent, established the theory that the sap of 
trees is taken up from the roots, through the cells or sap 
vessels of the wood of the trunk and branches, in a crude 
state^ and passes into the leaves ; that in their tissue, spread 
out under the sun's rays, it receives certain modifications. 
Carbonic acid, wliich has been taken in a state of solution 
from the soil, and by the leaves from the atmosphere, is 
decomposed, its oxygen is given off into the air, carbon 
becomes fixed, and thus the component parts of the tree, 
the material of the cells, starch, sugar, gum, etc., are 
formed. After passing through this purifying or concen- 
trating process, the sap acquires a more solid consistence, 
and is called cambium / so prepared, it returns down- 
wards through the nerves or vessels of the leaf to the base 
of the leaf stalk, and then between the wood and bark of 
the stem, forming new layers on its passage. Such is, at 
present, the most popular theory of the functions of the 
leaves, and the ascent, assimilation, and descent of the 
sap. Some distinguished writers on the subject reject 
this theory, alleging that " there is no such thing as crude 
sap ; that as soon as it enters the roots it becomes assimi- 
lated, and fit for the production of new cells, and that it 
passes upwards, forming new wood or cells by a chemical 
process."* Observation, however, has clearly established 
that, in the leaves of healthy trees, chemical processes, 
depending on light and heat, and absolutely essential to 



* Schleideu's Principles of Botany. 



46 



GENERAL PRINCIPLES. 



the well-being of the tree, are continually going on ; for 
trees shut out from the light always make a feeble growth, 
and have a blanched and sickly hue, compared with the 
same species in the free air, and exposed to the rays of the 
sun. If one side or portion of a tree is shaded or deprived 
of its full share of light, it ceases to grow in its natural 
way, and the shoots are lean, slender, and imperfect. 
2d. Different Forms and Characters of Leaves. — The 




ri£^s. 23 to 27.— FORMS of. leaves. 
23, oval ; ^4, oblon;? ; 25, lanceolate ; 26, ovate ; 27, obovate, 

different sizes and forms of the leaves of fruit trees, the 
divisions of their edges, the absence or presence of glands, 
the smoothness or roughness of their surfaces, are all, 
more or less, serviceable in describing and identifying 
varieties. 

The terms designating forms are seldom mathemati- 



LEAVES. 



47 



cally correct, but merely made by comparison ; for in- 
stance — 

Oval (fig. 23), when about twice as long as broad, and 
nearly of equal width at both ends. 

Ohlong (fig. 24), three times, or more, longer than 
broad, and difiering but little in width in any part. 

Lance Shaped^ or lanceolate^ (fig. 25), when much long- 
er than broad, and tapering gradually to a sharp point. 




Fig-. 30. 



Fio. 29. Fig. 28 

Fig. 28, a leaf, folded, reflexed, and finely serrated, or toothed ; 
serrated ; Fig. 30, creuate or scolloped. 



Fig. 29, coarsely 



Ovate (fig. 26), when twice as long as broad, tapering 
to the apex, and widest towards the base. 

Obovate (fig. 27), the reverse of ovate, the greatest di- 
ameter being in the upper part. 

Mound ^ roundish, approaching a circular form, like 
fig. 22. 

The apex or point is often a distinguishing feature ; some 
leaves terminate suddenly in a sharp point, others are 
di-awn out to along, sharp i^omX, peaked, whilst others are 
nearly round. Leaves difier much, too, in the form of the 



48 



GENERAL PRINCIPLES. 



base ; some are rounded, some sharp, and some heart- 
shaped. 

The divisions of the edges are serrated, or toothed, when 
the edges are cut into sharp teeth, directed towards the 
point of the \q.2S. \ finely (fig. 28) or coarsely (fig. 29) ser- 
rate, fi^ these teeth are fine or coarse; doubly serrate, 
when the principal division, or tooth, is subdivided. 

Crenate, or Scolloped (fig. 30), when the divisions are 
rounded, instead of being sharp, like teeth. 

Lohed, when deeply cut, and the penetrating angle 

large, as in the cur- 
rant, gooseberiy, 
grape, etc. (Fig. 31.) 

Flat, when the 
surface is even (fig. 
22). 

Folded, when the 
edges are turned 
inward (fig. 28). 

Reflexed, when 
the apex, or point, 
turns backwards, 
giving the leaf, more 
or less, the form of 
a ring (fig. 28). 

Waned, wrinkled. 

Fig. 31.— LEAF OF THE CURRANT, LOBED. , , 

smooth, rough, etc., 
are terms well enough understood, used in describing leaves. 

The leaf-stalk has often striking peculiarities in certain 
varieties, such as unusually long, stout, short, or slender. 
There are sometimes glands on the leaf-stalk, close to the 
base, and, in certain cases, on the leaf itself, that are 
chiefly taken notice of in identifying varieties of the peach 
and nectarine ; these differ in shape, too, being globular 
(as in fig. 32), reniform, or Jcidney-shaped (fig. 33) ; these 




FLOWERS. 



49 



little glands are supposed to be, and no doubt are, organs 

, of secretion. 




\ 



"^^ 

A^ 



'/ 




Fi<^ 32. 



Fis:. 



Fig. 32, a leaf of the peach, with globular 

glands ; Fig. 33, the same, with reniform, or 

kidney-shaped glands. 

in their foliage. 



These are all in- 
teresting^ items in the 
study of the beautiful 
and almost endless va- 
riety of forms which 
the different classes of 
fruit trees, and even 
different varieties of 
the same class, exhibit 



Section^ 6. — Flowers. 



1st. Different Parts of Flowers. — Flowers are the 
principal reproductive organs of trees, and consist of floral 
envelopes, the calyx and corolla ; and of sexual organs, 
stamens^ and pistils. Fig. 34, which represents a flpwer 





Fig. 34. Fig. 35. Fig. 36. 

Figs. 34 to 36.— DIFFERENT PAKTS OF A FLOWER, 

Fig. 34, flower of the peach cut open longitudinally. A, the calyx ; B, the petals ; 

C, stamens ; Z>, pistil. Fig. 35, a stamen. A, filament, or stalk : B, anther. 

Fig. 36, the pistil, A, ovary; B, style ; C, stigma ; the ovary is cut open to show 

the ovule, D. 

of the peach cut open lengthwise, shows the different 
parts and their position. 

The Calyx (A, fig. 34,) is the outer covering, and is 
usually green, like the leaves. Its parts are called sepals. 
3 



50 



GENERAL PRINCIPLES. 



These are either distmct or more or less united by their 

edges. The united portion is called the calyx-tube^ and 

the free points the segments. 

The coroUa (^, fig. 34,) is within the calyx, and is the 

colored, showy part of the flower ; its divisions are called 

petals. 

Stamens ((7, fig. 34), immediately within the petals, are 
the male organs of plants. The 
delicate, thread-like filament (^4, 
fig. 35), supports, on its extremity, 
the anther {B, fig. 35). This 
contains a powdery substance, the 
pollen., which is liberated when 
the anther is mature. 

The pistil {D, fig. 34 and fig. 
36,) is the female organ, and stands 
in the center of the llower. It 
consists of the ovary., at its base 
(A., fig. 36), which contains the 
ovules or rudiments of seeds. 
The style {B, fig. 36) is the 
elongated portion, and the stigma 
((7, fig. 36,) is the portion that 
receives the fertilizing powder 
(pollen) from the anthers. The 
stigma is usually rounded like a 
knob," but frequently it is incon- 
spicuous. 

Flowers may be deficient in any 

of these organs except the anthers, ovary, and stigm,a. 

These are indispensable to fructification, and must be 

present in some form or other, or the flowers will be 

barren. 

2d. Sexual Distinctions. — ^The fact that the two sexes, 

or sexual organs, the stame?is, and pistils, are, in certain 

species, united on the same flower, and in others on dif- 




Fig. 37.- 



-FLOWERS OF THE 
FILBERT. 




FLOWERS. 51 

ferent flowers, and even on different trees, has created the 

necessity for the following distinctions: 

Trees or plants are called hermaphTodlte (as in fig. 34), 

when both stamens and pistils are present on the same 

flower. Nearly all our cultivated fraits are of this class. 

Monoecious, when the male and female flowers are borne 

on the same tree, as in the filbert flower (fig. 37, A, the 

male, and J5, the female flowers). 

Dioecious, when the male flowers are on one plant, and 
the female on another. A familiar in- 
stance, among cultivated plants, is the 
hop. The strawberry is not truly dioe- 
cious, but in many varieties we find the 
stamens or male organs so incompletely 
developed (fig. 38), that they are of no 
service in fru^tifymg the flowers. Such 

Fisr. 38. —FEMALE, OR . ^- J. •-■"'' J • J.^^^ M. :3 

PISTILLATE FLowEu varictics acQ termed pistillate, and we 
OF THE sTKAWBERiiY. plant ucar them varieties with an abund- 
ance of these organs, strongly developed, as in fig. 39. 

3d. Impregnation. — The process of impregnation is 
effected in this way : When the flowers first open, the 
pollen granules are contained within the 
anther. In a short time, after the flow- 
er opens, the anther bursts, usually by 
a longitudinal slit, and sometimes by 
other kinds of opening, and the pollen 
is let fall upon the stigma, or is carried 
to it by means of the insects that fre- ^. _. 

•^ . 1 p n Fl<2:.39.— HERMAPHRO- 

quent the flowers m search oi pollen dite flower of the 
and honey. The stigma is furnished strawberry. 
with a glutinous, or sticky secretion, to which the pollen 
adheres ; there it prolongs a minute tube, which penetrates 
through the style of the pistil to the ovary, where it reaches 
the ovule, and impregnation takes place ; new cells are 
foi-med within the ovule, which results in the production 
of an embryo plant. 




52 GENERAL PRINCIPLES. 

This impregnation is sometimes, from certain causes, 
only partially effected in the cases of fruit where the ovary, 
or seed vessel, is composed of several cells, as in the apple, 
pear, etc., and hence the fruit takes an imperfect, one-sided 
development from the beginning. 

The difficulty that appears to arise in the way of the 
impregnation of the stigma of one flower by the pollen 
of anotlier, distantly situated, either on the same plant, as 
in monoecious trees, or on different plants, as in the dioe- 
cious ones, is wonderfully obviated by the provision that 
nature has made for its transmission — ^not only by the at- 
mosphere, but by insects, that pass from one flower to an- 
other, feeding on their honeyed secretions ; the pollen 
adheres to the bodies of the insects, and they carry it from 
one flower to another. 

All natural flowers, of the same species, present the 
same number of petals in their flowers ; but occasionally 
the stamens are converted into petals, and thus, what are 
called double flowers, are produced. Among fruit trees 
we have double-flowering apples, plums, peaches, and 
cherries. These seldom produce fruit ; when perfectly 
double, never. Many of our double flowers, roses, paeo- 
nies, etc., have been obtained by this transformation 
of the stamens into petals. It is supposed to be caused 
by an excessively high cultivation given to the plants 
that produce the seeds from Avhich these double varieties 
spring. 

4. Period of Blossoming. — In treating of fruit-buds, 
allusion has been made to the causes which, according to 
observation and experience, promote fruitfulness. These 
are chiefly a slow or moderate growth, and a branching 
or spreading, constrained form, instead of an upright one. 
Some species of trees bloom at a much earlier age than 
others. Thus the peach, the apricot, and the cherry, will 
bloom in nearly one-fourth less time from the bud, all 
things being equal, than the pear. Some species bloom 



FLOWERS. 53 

at an earlier period of the season than others ; the npricot 
and the peach bloom A'ery early, and this is the chief rea- 
son why the crop is so often destroyed in localities subject 
to late spring frosts. Among fruits even of the snme spe- 
cies there is much difference in the period of blooming — 
one variety of apple being nearly two weeks later than 
another. This, in some sections, is an important quality, 
where every day that the blossom is retarded renders the 
crop surer, from its being more likely to escape frost. 
These differences are caused by various circumstances. 

1st. The Climate. — The period of blossoming of the 
same species varies much in different localities. Rochester 
is at least a week earlier than Buffalo, although the dis- 
tance is less that one hundred miles ; and it is nearly two 
weeks earlier than Toronto, which is still nearer. The 
large bodies of ice in the lakes, at both Buffalo and Toronto, 
have, no doubt, a considerable effect in retarding the 
blossoming period. 

2d. The Season and Position. — In the same locality, one 
season is frequently a week earlier than others, and trees 
on the south side of a wall or building will expand their 
blossoms several days before the same variety in the open 
ground, only a few rods distant, and ten days to a fort- 
night before those on a north wall. 

3d. The Soil. — On warm, and light soils, the roots of 
trees are excited into activity much sooner than in cold, 
damp, and heavy soils, and the blossoming period is earlier 
in consequence. 

The Different Characters of Flowers. — Flowers vary 
in size^form.^ color^ and other qualities, even in the same 
species. In the peach, these distinctions are so obvious, 
that one of the principal classifications of pomologists is 
founded on them. Thus there are varieties with large 
showy flowers (fig. 40), as the Serrate Early York, and 
small (fig 41), as Large Early YorJc, Crawford's Early ^ 
etc. The color also presents variations, some being 




54 GENERAL PRINCIPLES. 

deep^ others pale rose, and some almost white; two 
or three varieties of the peach have flowers wholly- 
white, as the Snow Peachy for instance. In all the other 
fruits, as in apples, pears, plums ^ cherries, etc., the flowers 

vary but slightly in form 
and color, and the differ- 
ences are only taken note of 
in very full and minute 
scientific descriptions. A 
Fig. 40. Fig. 41. few cases, however, are well 

Fig. 40, largl flower of the peach -Fig. ^a^^^^' ^^ the JargonelU 
41, small flower of the peach. pear, the floWCrs of which 

are nearly twice as large as those of most other pears. 

In connection with the flowers, it may be proj^er to ex- 
plain the important process of 

Hybridization. — This is performed by fertilizing the 
pistil of one species or variety, with pollen from the 
stamens of another. The seeds produced by the flower so 
impregnated will produce a cross, or hybrid, between the 
two parents. This process is now well understood, and is 
carried on to a wonderful extent, especially in the pro- 
duction of new flowers. Comparatively few of our popu- 
lar fruits have been produced in this way. A few good 
sorts have been produced by the late Mr. Knight, a distin- 
guished English experimentalist, who effected much in his 
time towards establishing many diflicult and disputed 
points in vegetable physiology. Nearly all the native 
fruits of this country are accidental hybrids, or seedlings. 
A vast deal may be done to improve, in this way, all our 
fruits. The size, hardiness, and productiveness of one 
variety may be combined with the delicacy of texture and 
flavor of another, and endless variations and improvements 
may be effected. To obtain a true hybrid, certain precau- 
tions are necessary. The two subjects selected must flower 
at the same time. The stamens must be carefully removed 
from the one intended for the mother, without injury to 



FLOWERS. 55 

the stigma. It must also be guarded from accidental im- 
pregnation by other varieties, and the pollen from the 
selected male be applied at the proper moment — that is, 
when it bursts from the anther. Hybridization is only 
possible between species closely related ; for, although there 
is a relation between the apple and the pear^ and between 
the gooseberry and the currant, they will not hybridize ; 
but different varieties of the apple will hybridize with 
each other, and so with all the rest. 

It has been regarded as impracticable to hybridize the 
native with the foreign grape, but several parties claim to 
have at length succeeded. The varieties thus produced 
will be found in the descriptive list of grapes. 

Several parties have, from time to time, claimed to have 
succeeded in crossing the Monthly Alpine Strawberry with 
some of the large fruited sorts, but no instance of this 
kind has yet come to our knowledge, properly authen- 
ticated. It very often happens that the process of arti- 
ficial impregnation fails, and a pure seedling of one of the 
parents, instead of a hybrid, is the result. 

The prospects now are that hybridization, better under- 
stood than formerly, will yield important results in the 
amelioration of fruits. 

[Since writing the foregoing, I understand that Colonel 
Wilder has really succeeded in producing hybrids between 
the Alpine and Hautboy species and the large strawber- 
ries, a march of great importance.] 

Blossoming in Alternate Years. — Many varieties of 
apples, pears, etc., fruits that take the whole season to 
mature, produce flowers in alternate years only, with great 
regularity. The reason is supposed to be this : The fruit, 
during the bearing year, attracts a large quantity of the 
ascending sap of the tree in the same way as the leaves 
do ; but instead of returning it to the tree, it is appropri- 
ated by the fruit to its own growth. The consequence is, 
the buds that would have blossomed the following year, if 



56 GENERAL PKINCIPLES. 

they had received their due share of nutriment, fail in 
attaining the proper condition, and produce only rosettes 
of leaves. During the unfruitful season, immense quan- 
tities of fruit-buds are again brought forward, and the 
year following, the tree is overloaded ; so it proceeds in 
regular alternation. 

This is never experienced in trees regularly pruned, and 
may be remedied by thinning out the crop in bearing 
years, leaving on but a reasonable amount, that will not 
exhaust the tree. The bearing years have been complete- 
ly reversed by removing the blossom-buds, or fruits, on 
the bearing year. 

Section 7. — The Fruit. 

1st. Character of the Fruit. — As soon as the ovules are 
impregnated, the ovary begins to swell ; the petals,stamens, 
and other parts of the flower fall off, and we then say the 
fruit is "se^." As a fruit-bud is but a transformed leaf-bud, 
a fruit occupies the same relative connection with the tree 
as a branch ; it attracts food from the stem and the atmos- 
phere in the same manner, and performs all the same func- 
tions, except that it does not, like the leaf, return anything 
to the tree, but appropriates all to its own use ; and this 
is the reason, as we have before remarked, that trees hav- 
ing borne a heavy crop of fruit one season, are less fruitful 
the next — this is the case only with fruits, as the apple 
and pear, that require nearly the whole season to mature 
them. Cherries and other fruits, that mature in a shorter 
period, and that draw more lightly on the juices of the 
tree, do not produce this exhaustion, and consequently 
bear year after year uninterruptedly. 

2d. Classification. — In some fruits, as the apple, for in- 
stance, the fruit appears to be formed below, or at the base 
of the calyx; structurally, it is properly regarded ns an 
adhesion of the greater part of the calyx to the ovary ; 



THE FKUIT. 57 

the segments, or points of the calyx are still visible in the 
mature fruit, and often serve, to some extent, by their 
size and other peculiarities, as being spread out, or closed 
together in a point, to identify varieties. In other species, 
as the plum and cherry, the fruit is formed within the 
calyx, or above it. Fruits of the former character, form- 
ing below the calyx, and including it in their structure, 
are classed as inferior — the apple^pear^ quince^ gooseberry^ 
and currant^ are all inferior, having the calyx adhering. 

Those formed within the calyx, and free from it, are 
called superior ; such are the peachy pjlum^ apricot^ nec- 
tarine^ cherry^ raspberry, strawberry, and grape. 

The more natural, popular, and useful classification of 
fruits is that by Avhich they are divided into 

Pomes, or Kernel Fruits, as the apple, pear, quince, 
medlar, etc. In speaking of these, we call the enlarged 
accessory parts thej'^e^A, and the dry, bony, seed capsules, 
the core. 

Drupes, or Stone Fruits, are those which have a peri- 
carp of two kinds ; the outer part soft and pulpy, the^esA, 
and the inner one hard and bony, the pit, or stone, which 
encloses the seed in a shell, like a nut ; as the peach, plum, 
apricot, cherry, etc. 

JBei-ries. — These have soft, pulpy flesh, containing seeds ; 
as the gooseberry, currant, and grape. 

Compound Berries, like the raspberry, and blackberry, 
are made up of minute separate fruits, each like a stone 
fruit, on a very small scale. In the strawberry, the fruits 
proper are the seed-like ripened ovaries, which are more 
or less imbedded in a large, fleshy receptacle, which is an 
enlargement of the end of the flower-stalk. 

Nuts, as ihQ filbert, chestnut, etc., are fruits with a hard, 
bony covering, which are often contained in husks, or 
cups, that, when ripe, open and let the fruit drop. 

The outlines, or forms of fruits, and their colors, exhibit 
great variations, even in the same species. Every portion 
3* 



58 



GENERAL PRINCIPLES. 




Fig. 42. — VERTICAL SECTION OF AN 
APPLE, SHOWING ITS DIFFERENT PARTS. 

A, the base ; B, the eye ; C, the flesli ; B, 
the seed ; E, the core ; A, stem ; B, calyx. 



of the fruit, as the sMn^ flesh ( (7, fig. 42), core {E^ fig. 42), 
seeds (i>), or stones, stems (J), and in Ivernel fruits, the 
calyx (JB), has, in some cases, marked peculiarities, and in 
others, they are more minute and scarcely perceptible ; but 

yet, in a strictly scientific 
study of pomology, they 
are of more or less service. 
It Mould be foreign to the 
purposes of this work to 
notice these points in de- 
tail ; all that is deemed 
necessary, useful, or ap- 
propriate, is to point out 
well-defined and practi- 
cal distinctions, and the 
terms ordinarily made 
use of in popular de- 
scriptions. 
8d. Different Parts of the Fruit : 
The Base (A) is the end in whicli tlie stem is inserted. 
The Eye (JB) is the opposite end, in the apple, pear, 
etc., that have an adhering calyx. 

The JVecJc, in pears, the contracted part near the stalk, 
as seen in fig. 50. 

The Point is the end opposite the stem in stone fruits, 
berries, etc., that have no calyx, and consequently no 
eye. 

The Length is the distance from stem to point, or eye, 
A to J5, fig. 42. 

The Width, a line cutting the fruit across, or at right 
angles with the length. 

The Pasin, the depression around the eye, or calyx, in 
kernel fruit, B, fig. 42. 

The Cavity, the depression around the stem. 
The Suture, in stone fruits, the furrow-like depression 
running from the base to the point. 



THE FRUIT. 59 

4t]). Different properties of fruits : 

Besides the principal divisions which have been alluded 
to, fruits are considered in regard to their size, color, /orm, 
texture, favor, and season of ripeyiing, 

1st. The Size. — Besides the natural difference in size 
that exists among different varieties of the same species, 
as, for instance, between the Bartlett and Seckel Pears, or 
the Fall Pippin and Lady Apples, there are great dif- 
ferences between the same varieties, owing chiefly to the 
following circumstances: Soil. — We find that, in new 
and fresh soils, the nutritive properties of which have not 
been impaired by cultivation, as in the virgin soils of the 
West, fiuit of the same variety attains nearly double the 
size that it does in older parts of the country, where the 
soil has long been under cultivation ; and that in the same 
orchard, the tree growing in a deep, alluvial soil, will give 
fruit much larger than the one on a hard, gravelly knoll. 
Culture. — ^This has an important influence on the size of 
fruits. If an orchard has been for several years neglected, 
and the ground about the trees become covered with grass 
and weeds, the fruit is small ; and if the same orchard be 
plowed up, some manure turned in around the roots, 
and the ground be kept loose and clean by tillage, the 
fruit will double in size in a single season. Seasons. — In 
a dry season, when the supply of moisture at the roots 
and in the atmosphere is very limited, fruits are invari- 
ably smaller than in seasons of an opposite character. 
Number of fruits on the tree. — This affects the size of the 
fruit to a great extent in all seasons, soils, and climates, 
and under all grades of culture. 

It is perfectly obvious, that the greater the number of 
fruits a tree bears, the smaller they will be ; for, as they 
derive their sustenance from the tree, a large number 
cannot be so well supplied as a smaller number. We 
cannot go into an orchard where there arc many varieties 
without seeing an illustration of this. Here is a prolific 



60 GENERAL PRINCIPLES. 

variety, loaded in every part ; the fruits are small, cer« 
tainly not over medium size. There is a moderate bearer ; 
its fruits arc thinly and evenly distributed over the tree; 
its fruits are, consequently, large. So in the case of fruits 
that have been thinned; that is, a certain portion removed 
while young, either by accidental circumstances, or by 
design ; every specimen is twice as large, as if the wliole 
crop had been allowed to mature. The English goose- 
berry growers, in preparing their prize specimens, leave 
but a few on each bush — not over a twentieth, or perhaps 
a fiftieth part of the entire crop. So in peaches, grapes, 
etc., grown carefully in houses. Where the size and 
beauty of the fruit, and the health and vigor of the trees 
are kept in view, a large portion of the crops, from one- 
half to two-thirds, is thinned out before maturity. Age 
of the trees. — This influences the size of fruits to a great 
extent ; we see fruit so large on young trees, as to be 
entirely out of character. As trees grow older, the vigor 
decreases, and the number of fruits increase, and they are 
consequently dinnnished in size. The Jcind of stock has a 
tendency to modify the size ; thus we find many pears 
much larger on the quince stock than on the pear, and 
many apples larger on the Paradise than on the common 
apple stock. The reason of this is, no doubt, that on the 
quince and Paradise the juices of the tree are better pre- 
pared, richer, and better suited to the growth of the fruit. 
In the common pear and apple stocks, the sap is taken up 
in greater quantities, is watery, and better adapted to 
form wood than fruit. 

CLASSIFICATION OF SIZE. 

The terms qualifying the sizes of fruits are always given 
comparatively, in regard to the two extremes, the largest 
and the smallest of the species ; for instance — in apples, 
we may consider the Gloria Mundl and Tvjcnty Ounce as 
extremely Lirge, and the Lady Apple as extremely small. 



THE FKUIT. CI 

The terms used, therefore, are such as to represent the 
various grades between the two extremes. These arc 

Veri/ large^ as the Gloria Mundl Apple, Duchesse 
d'Angoultme Pear, Crawford^s Early Peach, Yellow Egg 
Phim, and Napoleon JBigarreau Cherry. 

Large^ as the Baldicin Apple, Bartlett Pear, Red Cheek 
Melocoton Peach, Washington Plum, and Black Eagle 
Cherry. 

Medium, as the Ramho Apple, White Doyenne Pear, 
Imperial Gage Plum, and the American Amber Cherry. 

Small, as tlic Early Strawberry Apple, Dearborn'' s Seed- 
ling Pear, Green Gage Phim, rind Dauman^s May Cherry. 
Very Small, as the Amire Johannet Pear, Lady Apple, 
Winter Damson Plum, and the Indulle {Early May) 
CheiTy. 

The distance "between some of these grades, as between 
medium and large, etc., is so sliort, that they are frequent- 
ly confounded ; still, they give a notion of comparative 
size that answers all practical purposes. It would, per- 
haps, have been more accurate, and, at the same time, 
more satisfactory to persons entirely unacquainted with 
fruits, to have given the comparative measurement of 
these different grades in inches and parts ; but the varie- 
ties quoted as examples are common, and very generally 
known. 

2d. Form. — It is exceedingly difficult, even impossible, 
to find any single term that will give a mathematically 
accurate notion of the forms of fruits ; for, although we 
call an apple round or conical, it may not be, strictly 
speaking, either ; very likely it partakes, to some extent, 
of both forms. But that is no reason why we should desig- 
nate it conical round : we simply call it round, or round- 
ish, if nearer round than any other form ; and if it ir.- 
clines slightly to the conical, we cannot in any other way 
so well convey tlic knowledge of that fact as by simply 
saying so. 



62 



GEISTEKAL PRINCIPLES. 



In the apple, the round form prevails, and in the pear, 
the pyramidal; hence, it is necessary to apply a different 
class of descriptive terms to each. 



FORMS OF APPLES. 



Hound or Roundish (fig. 43). — When the outline is 
round, or nearly so, the length being about equal to the 
breadth. 

Flat (fig. 46). — When the ends arc compressed, and 
the width considerably greater than the length. 




Fij^s. 43 to 4b. — roKMS of apples. 
43, round ; 44, conical ; 45, ovate ; 46, flat ; 47, oblon: 



48, ribbed. 



Conical (fig. 44). — In the form of a cone, tapering 
from the base to the eye. 

Ovate^ or egg-shaped (fig. 45). 

OUong (fig. 47). — When the length is consideraldy 
greater than the width, and the width about equal at both 
ends, not tapering as in the conical. 

In addition to these forms and their various modifica- 
tions, some varieties are 

Angular^ having projecting angles on the sides. 

One-sided^ having one side larger than the other. 



THE FRUIT. 



63 



JUbbed {4:8), when the surface presents a series of ridges 
and furrows, running from eye to stem. 



FORMS OF PEARS. 



It has been remarked that the pyramidal form prcTails 
in pears ; but they taper from the eye to the stem, which 
is just the reverse of the tapering form in apples. Their 
forms are designated thus — 

Pyriform. — When tapering from the eye to the base, 
and the sides more or less hollowed (concave) (fig. 49). 




Figs. 49 to 55. — foums of peaics. 

49, pyriform ; 50, long pyriform ; 51, obtuse pyriform ; 52, obovatc ; 53, turbinate ; 

54, oval ; 55, round. 

luong Pyriforin. — When long and narrow, and tapering 
to a point at the stem (fig. 50). 

Obtuse Pyriform. — When the small end is somewhat 
flattened (fig. 51). 

Ohovate, or egg-shaped. — Nearly in form of an eg^, the 
small end being nearest the stem (fig. 52). 

Turbinate, or top-shaped. — The sides somewhat round- 
ed, and tapering to a point at the stem (fig. 53). 

Oval. — Largest in the middle, tapering more or less to 
each end (fig. 54). 



64 GENERAL PRINCIPLES. 

Round, — When the outline is nearly round (fig. 55)- 

FORMS OF PEACHES. 

There is too much uniformity in the forms of peaches 
to render tlie adoption of any set of terms descriptive of 
them very serviceable. They are mostly rounds occasion- 
ally approaching \o oblong ^w^ oval; the sides are fre- 
quently compressed, flattened, exhibiting a suture or fur- 
row, running from the point to the base ; the Avidtb, 
depth, etc., of this suture are, in many cases, peculiar, or 
at least vrorthy of note, 

FORMS OF PLUMS. 

Plums are rovnd^ oval, or oblong^ as the peach, and 
marked, in some cases, by a similar flattening of the sides, 
and by the suture. 

FORMS OF CHERRIES. 



Cherries are round or heart-shaped ; obtuse heart- 
shaped, when too round to be fully heart-shaped ; and 
pointed, when the point is more than ordinarily sharp, or 
peaked. The suture is also taken note of, as in pkims 
and peaches. 

Gooseberries and Grapes are always round or oval. 
Currants, always round. Strawberries, round, conical or 
oval, sometimes with a neck ; that is, the base is di-awn 
out at the stem in the form of a narrow neck. Raspber- 
ries are conical, roundish or long. 

3d. Color. — The color of fruits depends much on their 
exposure to the sun's rays. We find that in orchard trees, 
where the heads arc dense, and a large portion of the fruit 
shaded and shut out from the sun, there is a great differ- 
ence in the color ; indeed, so great, frequently, as to make 
tlieir identity, from appearance, quite doubtful. Varieties 



THE FRUIT. 65 

tliat are naturally — when pi-operly exposed to the sun — 
of a bright red or a glowing crimson, remain green in the 
shade. The climate, too, seems to have considerable ef- 
fect on the color. As a general thing, we observe that 
northern apples are clearer and brighter colored tlian 
those of the South. 

Dry soils and elevated situations produce more highly 
colored fruit than damp and low valleys. The terms 
used in describing colors are all simple, and well under- 
stood. 

4th. Flavor^ in table fruits, is one of the most impor- 
tant of qualities ; for, however large or fair a fruit may 
be, if insipid or astringent to an unpleasant degree, or if 
it possesses some other disagreeable quality, it is unfit for 
the table. There are various kinds of flavor even among 
varieties of the same species : in pears, particularly, it is 
almost endless; the shades and degrees oi sweet and acid, 
and the various perfnmes that mingle with these, are 
almost infinite. 

The same circumstances mentioned as favorable to high 
and brilliant coloring, are also favorable to the production 
of fine flavor. JLight, heat, a dry soil, and moderate 
growth, seem to be all essential to fine flavor. On trees 
somewhat advanced in age, fruits are apt to be higher 
flavored than on young trees that have just commenced 
bearing, and in a dry than a wet season. The philosophy 
of all this is, that in a damp soil or season, or in a shaded 
situation, when trees are young, and growing rapidly, the 
fruit receives more sap from the tree than can be properly 
elaborated by the action of the sun and atmosphere on its 
surface, and, consequently, the sugary principle is pro- 
duced in small quantities — the juice is watery, sour, or 
insipid, as the case may be. 

The various terms by which flavor is designated, such 
as siioeet, acid, subacid, sprightly, perfumed, musky, spicjj^ 
etc., are all well understood. 



66 



GENERAL PKINCIPLES. 



Section 8. — The Seed. 



The perfect seed contains the rudiment of a plant of 
the same nature as that which produced it. This rudi- 
ment of the new plant is called the embryo^ and is found 
in a more or less developed state in all seeds. In fig. 56 
is given an enlarged view of an apple seed cut longitu- 
dinally to sliow the embryo in place, and fig. 57 shows 
the embryo of the same after germination, the lettering 
referring to the same parts in both illustrations. It consists 
of three parts — the cotyledons (a, 
figs. 56 and 57), which are the first 
pair of leaves, usually rudimentary ; 
these are the parts that first make 
their appearance, and are known as 
seed leaves. The bases of these 
cotyledons are united to the radicle, 
(c), and between them is a bud (J), 
called the plumule. The radicle 
and plumule are very inconspicuous 
in the seed (fig. 56), but as soon as 
the seed is excited into germina- 
tion by the heat and moisture of 
the earth, the radicle elongates, one 
end penetrates the soil, and roots 
soon start from it, and the upper 




Fig. 56, apple seed divided 

Fig. 57, germinating seed 

a, cotyledons; &, plumule 

c, radicle. 



portion ascends in 
plumule, and, in the 



an opposite direction, bearing the 
apple, etc., the cotyledons to the sur- 
face, where they find the necessary air and light. Tiie 
plumule, which is really a terminal bud, is soon lifted up 
by the development of a section of stem, unfolds its leaves, 
and exposing another bud, which in its turn repeats the 
same process, and thus the growth of the tree goes for- 
ward. 

It has been remarked that a seed contains the rudiments 
of a plant similar to that on which it is produced ; but 



THE SEED. C7 

tliis needs some explanation. In distinct species, this will 
be true ; but the seeds of varieties that have been pro- 
duced by culture and hybridizing, seldom, or never, repro- 
duce exactly their like, hence the necessity for the various 
artificial methods of multiplication, such as grafting, bud- 
ding, layering, etc. It is to these operations that we are 
indebted for the preservation of varieties that were origi- 
nated hundreds of years ago. 

Germination. — Heat ami moisture, air, and the exclu- 
sion of light, are all necessary to the healthy and perfect 
germination of seeds. It may be well to consider, briefly, 
the part which each of these has to perfoiin. 

1st. Moisture. — If seeds are sown in a time when 
the ground is parched, they will show no signs of germi- 
nation until it is, in some way or other, moistened. The 
quantity of moisture necessary to a seed depends on the 
nature of its covering, and its size. A small seed, with 
a thin covering, will vegetate much sooner, and with less 
moisture, than a large seed, with a hard, bony covering. 
The moisture must, in the firs >; place, soften the covering, 
penetrate to the mealy part of the seed, and prepare it 
for the chemical changes necessary to convert it into food 
for the embryo plant. If apple or pear seeds be kept in 
a dry, Avarm room all winter, they will not be likely to 
vegetate the succeeding spring, but if sown, will probably 
lie in the ground all summer, and possibly germinate the 
spring following. If cherry seeds are kept dry for any 
length of time, say two or three montlis, they will not 
germinate the season following; and peaches and plums 
have actually to be in the ground all winter to insure 
their germination the succeeding spring. Seeds will ger- 
minate much quicker when freshly gathered than after 
they have dried, because heat, moisture, and air have 
easier access to them, and act more quickly on them. 
These facts, of which all are well aware, show the necessi- 
ty for moisture, and the nature of its influence. 



68 GENERAL PRINCIPLES. 

2d. Heat is the next most important element. Seeds 
do not grow in winter. We sow our apple, pear, peach, 
and plum seeds in November, but they show no signs of 
germination until a change of season. When the warmth 
of spring penetrates the soil, it reaches the seed, and, in 
connection with the moisture already imbibed, induces 
chemical changes, which excite the vital energies of the 
germ, decompose the mealy part of the seed, and prepare 
it for the temporary nutrition of the young plant. 

3d. Air. — Although seeds may have heat and moisture 
in the requisite proportions, still it has been proved, by 
many experiments, that without air, germination cannot 
take place. 

Practical cultivators are aware that seeds planted too 
deeply do not grow ; many kinds will lie buried in the 
ground for years without growing, and when turned up 
near the surface, will germinate immediately. It is the 
oxygen of the air that constitutes its importance ; it pro- 
duces, by forming new combinations with the constituents 
of the seed, that chemical process which converts the 
starch into gum and sugar, as we observe in ordinary 
cases of fermentation. 

4th. Exclusion of Light. — The manner in which self- 
sown seeds in the forest are covered with fallen and de- 
caying foliage, plainly indicates that nature never intend- 
ed the light to strike germinating seeds. A seed entirely 
exposed would be at one time saturated with moisture, 
and at another parched with drouth ; chemical changes 
would be alternately promoted and checked, until the 
vital principle would be destroyed, or so weakened as to 
produce a feeble and Avorthless plant. The depth of the 
covering should always be regulated by the size of the 
seeds. Snia-1 and delicate seeds may be sown almost on 
the surface, whilst large ones may be imbedded to the 
depth of four or five inches. The small seed requires lit- 
tle moisture, and has but a feeble force to penetrate an 



SOILS. 60 



earthy covering ; but the large requires much moisture, 
and has force enough to push its way up. 



CHAPTER II. 

SOILS. 
Section 1. — ^Different Kinds of Soil. 

Soils are usually designated by terms expressive of the 
predouiinant material in their composition ; thus we hear 
of sandy ^ loamy ^ gravelly^ clayey^ calcareous^ or limy^ and 
alluvial soils. 

A sandy soil is that in which sand is the principal in- 
gredient. Such soil is usually quite defective. It is so 
porous, that it parts almost instantaneously with moisture, 
and plants in it suffer from drouth. All the soluble 
parts of manures are also quickly washed out of it, and 
hence it requires continual additions to produce even a 
scanty growth. The great point in improving it is to 
render it more retentive by the addition of clay, ashes, 
etc. 

A clayey soil is that in which clay predominates. It 
may be considered the opposite of sandy, inasmuch as its 
defects are, that it retains moisture too long, is too adhe- 
sive ; in dry weather it becomes as hard as a burnt brick, 
impervious to dews or light showers, and when thoroughly 
saturated with wet, it is tough, and requires a long time 
to dry. No fruit tree succeeds well in such a soil ; but it 
is capable of being improved and fitted for many species, 
and especially the plum and the pear. The obvious way 
to improve it is, by incorporating with it sand, muck, or 
leaf mould. 



70 GENERAL PfllNCIPLES. 

A gravelly soil is one made np in greater part of small 
stones, pebbles, decomposed rock, etc. ; such soils, as a 
general thing, are unfit for fruit trees, unless great labor 
is incurred in trenching, deepening, and mixing with 
clay, muck, etc., of opposite characters. 

A loamy soil is one we hear a great deal about, and 
may be understood in various ways. It may be considered 
a mixture of equal parts of sandy, clayey, and vegetable 
soil. It is neither so light as the sandy, on the one hand, 
nor so tenacious as clay on the other ; and, as a general 
thing, contains such elements, and is of such a texture, as 
to render it eligible for all ordinary purposes of cultiva- 
tion, and especially so for fruit trees. Loamy soils are 
spoken of as sandy loams when sand forms a large ingre- 
dient — say one-half of their composition ; gravelly^ when 
pretty largely mixed with small stones ; calcareous^ when 
lime is found in them. 

Calcareous soils have a large amount of lime mixed 
with the other ingredients of which they are composed. 
All the lands in limestone districts are of this character, 
and, as a general thing, are well adapted to fruit culture. 

Peaty soil consists chiefly of vegetable mould from de- 
cayed marsh plants, in low, wet places. It is unfit, in 
itself, for fruit trees, but is valuable for improving both 
light and heavy soils. 

Alluvial soils are made up of decomposed vegetable 
substances, the sediment of rivers, and materials washed 
down from neighboring hills ; the valleys of all our rivers 
and streams are composed of this, and it is the richest 
of all soils. Fruit trees in such soils make a rank, 
A'igorous growth, but they arc not so hardy nor so fruit- 
ful, nor is the fruit so high flavored as on soils with more 
sand, clay, or gravel, and less vegetable mould. 

In treating of the different classes of fruits, we shall 
refer to the particular soils best adapted to them. 



SOILS. 71 

SEcmoN 2. — ^Different Modes of Improvixg Soils. 

In regard to depth, soils vary materially, some being 
not over eight or ten inches in depth of surface, others a 
foot, while in deep alluvial valleys they are often two feet. 
For orchard and garden purposes, a deep soil is quite 
essential, to enable the roots to penetrate freely in search 
of food, and to enable them to withstand the demands of 
protracted drouths. Few soils in their ordinary condi- 
tion of farm culture are, in this respect, suitable for trees. 
Even where naturally deep and loamy, if the upper part 
only (say to the depth of six inches, which is as deep as 
most people plow) be in a friable condition, it cannot be 
considered as in a proper state for the reception of trees, 
for their roots cannot be confined to six inches of the sur- 
face. Some means of loosening and deepening must be 
resorted to, and what are they ? 

1. SUBSOIL PLOWING. 

This is the cheapest and best method, where a large 
quantity of ground is to be prepared for extensive plant- 
ing. The common plow goes first, and takes as deep a 
furrow as practicable. The subsoiler follows in the same 
furrow, and loosens, without turning up, the lower part 
of the surface, and a part of the subsoil. Except in cases 
where the subsoil is a very stiff clay, or a hard gravel, 
and near the surface, the two plows can go to the depth 
of eighteen or twenty inches. This is our mode of pre- 
paring nursery grounds. If a single plowing in this way 
does not accomplish the desired end, a second may be 
given, going down still deeper. 

We ha<i a piece of soil, the surface of which was about 
a foot deep, of black vegetable mould, with a slight ad- 
mixture of sand, resting on a stiff clay subsoil, which 
prevented the water from passing off. In this condition 



72 GENERAL PEINCIPLES. 

we found it entirely unfit for trees ; we subsoil plowed it 
six or eight inches deep, turning up the clay subsoil, and 
mixing it with the surface ; we also drained it, and spread 
over the surface the clay that came out of tlie drains, and 
in this condition we find it producing the finest trees, 
especially apples, pears, and plums. The soil is more 
substantial, and the surface water passes off freely. 

2. TKENCHIXG. 

In gardens, too limited in extent to admit of plows, or 
where it is desired to make the soil thoroughly and per- 
manently deep, trenching is the means. 

The spade is the implement used in this operation. A 
trench, two feet wide, is opened on one side of the ground, 
v.nd the earth taken out of it is carried to the opposite side. 
Another trench is opened, the surface spadeful being 
thrown in the bottom of the first, and the next lower on the 
top of that, and so on until it is opened the required depth, 
which, for a good fruit garden, should be about two feet. 
If the subsoil be poor and gravelly, it is better to loosen 
it up thoroughly with a pick, and let it remain, than to 
throw it out on the surface. When the whole plot is 
trenched over in this way, the earth taken out of the first 
trench will fill up the last one, and the Avork is done. If 
the soil be poor, a layer of well-decomposed manure may 
be added alternately with the layers of earth ; and if the 
soil be too light and sandy, clay, ashes, etc., can be add- 
ed ; and if too heavy, sand, lime, muck, peat, scrapings 
of dead leaves from the woods, or any other material cal- 
culated to render it porous and friable. If a garden is 
thus trenched in the fall or winter, and then turned over 
once in the spring, to effect a thorough mixture of all the 
materials, it will be in suitable order for planting. This 
is something like the way to prepare soil for a garden ; 
and let no one say it is too troublesome or too expensive, 



SOILS. 7:; 

for, in two years, the extra ]>lcasure and profit it will yield 
will pay for all. Notliing is so expensive nor so trouble- 
some as an ill-prepared soil, 

3. DRAINING. 

There is a false notion very prevalent among people, 
that where Avater does not lodge on the surface of a soil, 
it is " dry enough." However this may be m regard to 
meadows or annual crops, it is quite erroneous when ap- 
plied to orchards or fruit gardens. Stagnant moisture, 
either in the surface or subsoil, is highly injurious — ruin- 
ous to fruit trees. In such situations, we invariably find 
them unthrifty and unfruitful, the bark mo3sy, and the 
fruit imperfect and insipid. All the soils, then, not per- 
fectly free from stagnant moisture, both above and below, 
should be drained. In draining, it is, of course, neces- 
sary to have a fall or outlet, for the water. Having se- 
lected this, the next ])oint is to ope:i the drains. We 
usually make them three feet deej), and wide enough to 
give sufficient room to work — say three feet wide at toj? 
narrowing gradually to six inches at the bottom, which 
should be even, and sloping enough to the outlet of the 
water to enable it to run. Draining plows are now used 
advantageously, lessening very much the expense of 
opening the drains. The plow is constructed something 
like the«subsoiler, and the horses are attached with a long 
evener, so that one can walk on each side of the drain. 

A sufficient number of men follow the plow to throw 
out the earth with shovels as fast as it is loosened. 

The two-inch pipe tile is the b.^st for common drains. 
For outlet drains, the size must bo proportioned to the 
number of small drains which discharge into it. 

Those who have much draining to do, and need infor- 
mation on the subject, should procure a work upon the 
subjec'-t. 

A. 



74 GENERAL PIIIXCIPLES. 

Where draining tiles are not to be bad conveniently, 
small stones may be used. The bottom of the drain 
should be filled with tliem to the depth of eight or ten 
inches. In using these, the drains require to be at least 
six inches deeper than for tiles, in order that a sufficient 
quantity of stones can be used without coming too near 
the surface. Some brush, or tui-f, with the grassy side 
downwards, should be laid on the stones before filling in 
the earth, to keep it from filling up the crevices. 

Objections are sometimes made to draining for orchards 
on the ground t])at the roots may get into the drains, and 
fill them up. This difficulty is obviated by placing the 
rows of trees at a proper distance from the drains. 



CHAPTER in. 

MANURES. 

Section 1. — Impobtance of Mantjkes. 

Ko soil, whatever may be its original fertility, can sus- 
tain a heavy and continued vegetation for many years 
without becoming, to some extent, exhausted. Indeed, 
there are few people so fortunate, except those who settle 
upon new, uncultivated lands, as to procure a soil that 
does not need manuring to fit it for the first planting with 
trees. It is, then, a matter of importance for every man, 
who has more or less land to cultivate, to inform himself 
well on the subject of saving, preparing, and applying 
manures. In this country, the only class of men, general- 
ly speaking, who can be properly said to collect and 
manage manures with system and care, are nurserymen 
and market gardeners near our large towns. It is very 



MANURES. 75 

seldom that people generally give the matter a thought 
until garden-making time comes around in the spring, 
and then anything in tlie form of manure is carried into 
the garden, and applied whether lit or unfit. This is not 
the proper course. 

Every garden should liavc its manure heap, that, in the 
fall or spring, when it comes to be applied, will cut like 
jyaste. In that state only is it safe to apply it. All parts 
of it are then decomposed thoroughly ; all seeds of 
noxious plants are dead, and it is in a condition capable 
of yielding at once, to the roots of growing plants, healthy 
nutrition, that will produce a vigorous, firm^ sound, and 
fruitful growth y and this is precisely what is wanted: 
far better to have a tree starved and stunted, than forced 
into a rank, plethoric growth, with crude, ill-prepared 
manures. 

Section 2. — Pheparatio:^ of Manures. 

The best gardeners pursue a system something like 
this : A trench is prepared, tv/o or three feet deep, and 
large enough to hold v/hat manure may be wanted. In 
the bottom of this trench, a layer of muck, grassy tui-f, 
ashes, anything and everything capable of being decom- 
posed, is laid down, say a foot deep. On the top of this, 
a thick layer of stable or barn-yard manure, two or three 
feet deep, then another layer of muck, gypsum, etc. In 
this way it remains until more manure has accumulated 
r.round the stables; it is then carried and deposited in 
another layer, with a layer of the other materials on the 
top. The manure should always be saturated with mois- 
ture, and ti'odden down firmly to hasten its decay; and if 
an occasional load of night soil could • be mixed in with 
it, all the better. The layer of muck and other substances 
bemg always placed on the top of the last layer of 
manure absorbs the evaporations of the heap, and hastens 



V6 GENERAL PRINCIPLES. 

the decay of all. AVlicn stable manure is thrown down 
and left uncovered, a dense steam will be seen to rise 
from it; and this is the very essence of it escaping to be 
lost ; and if it be thrown down in a heap dry^ it will im- 
mcdiat(!ly burn — that is, dry rot. Its enriching ingredi- 
ents all pass off by evaporation, and there is nothing left 
but its ashes, so to speak. ^ 

When the licat has accmnulatcd for four or five 
months, as described, the whole should be turned over, 
completely mixed, and piled up in a compact, firmly 
trodden mass, when it will undergo further decomposition, 
and, in a short tiiue, become like paste. Adjoining every 
manure heap there should be an excavation, to receive its 
liquid drainage, in orcer that it may be saved, and either 
applied, in the grovv'ing season, in a liquid state, diluted 
with water, or be thrown over the heap. 

'• Special manures " have been mucli talked of lately. 
By the word " special," is meant a particular quantity, 
cf a particidar mixture, for certain species, nnd even for 
cei-tani varieties of fruits. Nearly all the suggestions on 
the subject are speculative, and unreliable. The subject 
is an important one, but v/c v/a:it direct and careful ex- 
periments. It is only v/hen vf e kno w^ to a certainty what 
material certain trees need most of, and in what degree it 
abounds, or is wanting in our soil, that we can apply it 
safely. The experience of farmers and gardeners, grain 
and fruit growers, all over the vforld, affords undoubted 
evidence of the enricliing qualities of stable manure. On 
all soils, and for all sorts of crops, it is an unfailing and 
powerful fertilizer ; and we make it the base of all our 
manure and compost heaps. By mixing with it the in- 
gredients we have mentioned, we hasten its decay, save 
its pr\rts from waste, and, at the same time, combine with 
it other substances that will not only enrich, but improve 
the texture of soils, and increase tlie supply of the mineral 
substances required by plants. Dr. Daubney, a distin- 



MANURES. 77 

guishcd writer on the character and improvement of 
soils, etc, says : " Fortunately, we are provided, in the 
dung of animnls, v\^ith a species of manure of which the 
land can never be said to tire, for this simple I'cason — tliat 
it contains within itself not one alone, but all the ingre- 
dients which plants require for their nutrition, and that, 
too, existing in the precise condition in which they are 
most readily taken in and assimilated." But a good sub- 
stitute for this article, where it cannot be obtained, is an 
important point. Some time ago, we noticed in the re- 
port of a discussion on manures in Boston, that tlie Hon. 
M. P. Wilder, one of the most distinguished horticultu- 
rists in America, stated that he had found the following 
compost equnl to stable manure for gardening 2>urposes 
generally, and for fruit trees. 

" One cord of meadow muck, having been exposed, to 
the action of the air and frost at least one year ; twelve 
bushels leached ashes ; six bushels crushed bones. This 
mixture cost him at the rate of $4. .50 cents per cord. 
Latterly, he added to this his stable manure, and about 
an eighth of the whole bulk of fine refuse charcoal from 
the depot of venders, which w^as delivered to him at $5 
per cord ; and in this way he found it the best, as a gen- 
eral manure, he had ever used. On fruit trees its effect 
was remarkable. 

" In the spring of 1847, he planted a square in the nur- 
sery with imported trees from! England, this compost hav- 
ing been spread and plowed in. These trees were fi-om 
four to five feet in height, and although it is not usual 
for trees to make a large growth the first year, they ac- 
quired branches of three to four feet. 

" In June last, which is very late to set out trees, he 
prepared another square on rather poor land, and planted 
trees just received from England upon it. Tlie soil had 
been thrown up to the frost the previous winter, and the 
compost here was applied i.i the trenches, near the roots. 



78 GENEEAL PKINCIPLES. 

Mr. Wilder exhibited two shoots which had grown fi'om 
those trees since they were set, in June. The shoots 
were four feet in length, and the wood hard, and well 
ripened." 

In addition to all these sources for manure, it may be 
added that fallen leaves, scrapings of streets, weeds, 
wood chips, sawdust, the ashes of all primings of trees 
and brush, soot, blood, animal flesh, soap-suds, and slops 
from the kitchen, and, in fact, everything decomposable 
may be used to increase the bulk of the manure heap, 
taking care that everything likely to waste by evapora- 
tion be covered at once with muek, charconl, or some 
material calculated to absorb the gases evolved by decom- 
position. We very frequently see people, in the spring 
of the year, when their garden is undergoing a purifying 
and fitting up process, carry to the highway all the brush, 
dry stems of plants, and all the wreck of the previous 
season's work, there to make a bonfire to get it out of the 
way, while at the same moment they complain sadly of 
the lack of manure. 

There was no such thing as a manure heap on the 
premises. 

Section 3. — Modes of Applting Manure. 

Where an acre or several acres of ground arc to be 
prepared for trees, the better way is to spead the manure 
over the surface, and turn it in with the plow. When 
it is scarce, and economy necessary, it may bo applied 
around the roots, by mixing with the earth at planting 
time. 

Quantity to he Applied. — This, of course, depends on 
two things — the necessities of the soil, and the quality of 
the manure. If the land be poor, an even covering of 
two or three inches should be given ; if in tolerably good 
condition, one inch will be sufiicient. One inch of well- 



MANURES. 79 

decomposod animal manure will be equal to three inches 
of a partially decayed compost. 

Section 4. — Liquid Manure. 

Manure, in a liquid state, has these advantages to recom- 
mend it : It can be applied to trees and plants in a grow- 
ing state without, in the least, disturbing the surface of 
the soil, and it supplies, at the same time, both nutriment 
and moisture. It can be applied to beai-ing trees, straw- 
berries, etc., in fruity if defective in vigor, or suffering 
from drouth, and yield an immediate sustenance, that 
will enable them to j^roduce much larger and finer fruit 
than they could have done without it. 

It may either be collected in a tank, kept on purpose 
near the barns, or it may be made when wanted by dis- 
solving manure in water. It may be much stronger for 
trees, the roots of which are a considerable distance from 
the surface, than for sucli plants as have their roots near 
the surface. It is the only prompt and effectual stimu- 
lant for trees on a poor soil, to enable them to perfect 
their crop. We have frequently Avitnessed its astonishing 
effects. It should be applied in the evening, and in such 
quantity as to penetrate to the roots ; half a dozen water- 
ings will be sufficient in most cases, but it is better to 
apply it well diluted, and often, than a smaller quantity, 
too strong. A dozen shovelfuls of animal manure will 
make a bari'el of liquid powerful enough for most pur- 
poses ; and if pure liquid soakage of the manure heap or 
urine of animals is used, at least one-half rain-water 
should be added. Soap-suds forms an excellent liquid 
manure for all trees. The grape-vine is especially bene- 
fited by liberal and frequent application. 



80 GENERAL PKINCIPLES. 



CHAPTER IV. 

THE DIFFERENT MODES OF PROPAGATING FRUIT TREES. 

4 

General HemarJcs. — The propagation of fruit trees may 

be classed under two principal heads — the Natvral^ 

which is by seeds ; and the Artificial^ by the division of 

\)[iQ plants^ as in cuttings^ layers^ suckers^ huds^ and grafts. 

PEOPAGATIOX BY SEEDS. 

Sieedling fruit trees are propagated either to obtain new 
varieties, or stocks for budding or grafting. It is only 
where the very rudest system of fruit culture is practised 
— as, for instance, in newly-settled countries — that seed- 
lings are planted out to bear, for the reason that, unless 
in very rare instances, varieties worthy of cultivation do 
not reproduce themselves from seed. The important dif- 
ferences that exist between the seeds of different classes 
of fruit trees render it necessary to treat of each sepa- 
rately ; their management will therefore be given in detail, 
in connection with the propagation of stocks. 

There are some points, howevei', of general application, 
that may be considered here with propriety. It scarcely 
admits of a doubt, but that many of the difficulties met 
with in fruit tree culture, as maladies of various sorts, 
unfruitful ness, etc., are induced by a careless and indis- 
criminating system of propagation. 

The stock has a most important influence on the health, 
longevity, fruitfulness, and symmetry of the tree, and 
should therefore be propagated nnd selected with due re- 
gard to its soundness, vigor, and hardiness of constitution. 

If it were possible, seeds, to grow stocks from, whether 
of the apple, pear, peach, plum, or any other, should be 
taken only from healthy, vigorous trees, and from perfect, 



PKOPAGATIOX BY SEEDS. 81 

well-matured fruits. This is more especially important in 
the case of the peach, which, in some sections, is afiectcd 
with a fatal malady, known as the " yellows." 

In the case of the pUim, too, care should be taken not 
to grow stocks from4.he seeds of trees affected with that 
well-known fungus disease, called " black-knot." 

I have strong reasons for believing that stocks grown 
from trees affected with this disease will soon fall a prey 
to it. Indeed, I have seen it make its appearance among 
seedlings during their first season's growth in the seed- 
bed. 

As this disease is now so prevalent, I would recommend 
the total rejection of American seedlings unless grown 
from seed positively known to be the product of sound 
trees. It is safer to import stocks from Europe, where 
the plum-tree is exempt from the black-knot. 

In regard to other stocks, as the apple, pear, cherry, 
etc., usually grown from seed saved promiscuously, the 
greatest care should be taken to select and plant out, for 
budding or grafting upon, only such as show unmistaka- 
ble signs of health and vigor ; all others should be dis- 
carded. The strongest stocks come from the sound and 
healthy seed, and it is a pretty safe rule to discard the 
small ones. 

A discriminating spirit is already becoming apparent 
among the best classes of cultivators, and their example 
will soon be felt. The selection of seeds for stocks is a 
point of more than ordinary importance, and merits the 
special attention of every man engaged, to whatever ex- 
tent, in the propagation of fruit trees. 

Production of New Yarieties. — New varieties are pro- 
duced from seeds that have been properly hybridized, as 
described in the article on hybridization, or from seeds of 
the best specimens of the best varieties. 

Where it is desired to obtain seedlings of a particular 
variety, free from any crossing with others, the flowers 
"4* 



82 GENERAL Pr.IXCIPLES. 

should be protected while in blossom, to guard them 
against foreign impregnation ; seeds sliould be saved only 
from large, perfect, fine flavored specimens, and the seeds 
themselves should be plump and mature. Sometimes a 
good variety is obtained by selecting from beds of seed- 
lings, such as possess marked evidences of improvement ; 
vigorous^ luxuriant growth^ large, heavy foilage^ promi- 
nent buds, and smooth, thorn less loood. These characters 
indicate superiority, but do not always ensure superior 
fruit. The stock is supposed to exert considerable influ- 
ence on the seed ; and if this be the case, it would be well 
to get such varieties as we wish seeds from, on their own 
roots, by layering, or grafting on roots in the ground, so 
that the graft will, itself, strike root. Mr. Knight's mode, 
of obtaining seedlings of the best varieties, was to prepare 
stocks from some good sort that would strike from cuttings. 
These stocks he planted in rich, wai-m soil, and grafted 
with the kind he wanted the seeds from. The first season 
after grafting he took them up, reduced the roots, and 
planted again. In this way he had them bear fruit in two 
years. He allowed only a couple of specimens to remain 
on each tree, and these, consequently, were very large, 
mature, and every way fine, and from these the seeds 
were taken. Seedlings may be tested quickly, by bud- 
ding or grafting them on bearing trees. We may fruit 
apples and pears in this way in four or five years, whilst 
ten or fifteen would be necessary on their own roots. 

2. ^g Division of the Plants. — It has been remarked, 
in the article on buds, that every bud is capable, under 
favorable circumstances, of producing a new individual, 
similar to that from ^vhich it is taken. 

Hence it is, that out of the 3'oung annual wood of an 
apple, pear, peach, or any other fruit tree, we frequently 
make several hundreds. Every good, well-formed bud, 
properly separated, and inserted under the bark of the in- 
dividuals of the same, or a closely allied species, will, in 



PROPAGATION BY CUTTINGS. 83 

one year from its insertion, or with one season's growth, 
h.ive become a new tree. It is by these means we are 
enabled to disseminate new varieties with sucli wonderful 
rapidity. If a young tree, of a new variety, will make half 
a dozen shoots the first season, each bearing half a dozen 
buds, we can, if we have stocks to bud on, be in possession 
of thirty trees of that variety in two years from the time 
we obtained one tree, and in another year we may have 
four times that number. The production of a tree from 
a bud, a graft, a layer, or a cutting, is but the same thing, 
effected by diffei-ent means. In all the cases, a part of the 
parent plant, with one or more buds attached, is separated 
from it. The cutting, sometimes composed of one bud, or 
joint, and sometimes of several, we put directly in the 
ground, where it forms roots. The graft is a cutting in- 
serted, not in the ground, but in the wood of another 
plant, to which it unites. The bud inserted under the bark 
of another tree, and the one buried in the ground, differ 
only in this, that one draws its support directly from the 
soil, and the other indirectly, through the tree to which 
it unites. 

Section 1. — ^Propagation by Cuttings. 

A cutting is a shoot, or part of a shoot, generally of one 
season's growth. The length of the cutting varies from 
a single eye, or joint, to a foot, according to the nature 
of the species, or the circumstances under which it is to 
be grown. The wood should be as stout and mature as 
possible, and should be cut close and smooth to a bud at 
both ends (fig. 58). In all cases, cuttings taken off close 
to the old wood, with the base attached, as in fig. 59, are 
more successful than when cut at several joints above ; 
and in many cases, as in the quince, for example, an inch 
or two of the old wood left attached to the base of the 
cutting, as in fig. 60, render it still more certain of sue- 



84 



GENERAL PRINCIPLES. 



cess. The more buds we can get around the base of a 
cutting, the better, other things being equal ; for these 
buds, as soon as they become active, send down new 
matter, from which the roots are emitted. 

Cuttings of the grape are sometimes made of a single 
eye (fig. 61), with an inch or so of wood above and below it. 

The time to make cuttings is in the fall, as soon as the 




Figs. 58 to 62.— CUTTINGS. 

58, a cutting, all of yonng wood ; 59, a cutting, with a heel of old wood ; 60, a 

cutting, with 2 or 3 eyes of old wood ; 61, a cutting of a single eye of the grape 

Yine ; 62, a long cutting of the grape ; line A, B, surface of the ground. 

wood is ripe, and through the early winter months. It 
should not be deferred later than January. The soil for 
cuttings is of the greatest importance to their success, for 
if, on the one hand, it be cold, damp, and compact, they 
will decay, and if too loose and sandy, they will dry up 
for the want of sufficient moisture. A soil so mellow that 
it cannot bake, and yet so compact as to retain humidity 
enough to support the cuttings until new roots are formed, 
seems to be absolutely necessary — such a soil as we may 



PROPAGATION BY CUTTIXaS. 85 

suppose a good garden border to be composed of. Rooted 
plants can endure extremes, but cuttings require the most 
flivorable circumstances. 

Time to plant. — The fall would be the better season 
to plant all cuttings, if we could cover them so as to jDre- 
vent the frost from heaving them out. It is on account 
of this difficulty that we plant, from necessity, in the 
spring ; but spring planting must be done very early, that 
vegetation may proceed gradually. If late planted, warm 
weather comes on them at once, before they have formed 
roots sufficient to support the demands of the young 
leaves. Where only a few are gi'own, shading might, at 
certain times, be given, and some light substance, like 
sawdust, be spread about them, to preserve an even tem- 
perature and humidity, or they might be put in a cold- 
frame, where they could receive any required attention. 
Where acres of cuttings are grown, these things are not 
practicable. 

Depth to plant. — As a general thing, cuttings should be 
inserted so deep, that only two buds will be above the 
surface of the ground, and in the vine only one. If cut- 
tings are long, they need not be set perpendicularly, but 
sloping, so as to be within reach of heat and air. A 
cutting of a single eye of the vine, with a j^iece of wood 
attached, must be entirely covered — say half an inch 
4eep ; see figures 58 to 62, ground line, ^, B. But such 
cuttings are seldom planted, except in pots, in houses, or 
in hot-beds. 

Preserving Cuttings. — If cuttings are not planted in 
the autumn, they should at least be prepared quite early 
in the winter, and be buried in the earth, out of doors, in 
a pit. A mound of earth should be drawn up over the 
pit to throw off water. At the very first favorable mo- 
ment in the spiing, they should be planted. Trenches 
are opened as deep as necessary with a spade, and the 
cuttings set in it at the proper distances, from three inches 



86 GENERAL PKINCIPLES. 

to .1 foot, according to circumstances. When the cuttings 
are in the trench, the earth is partly filled in, and trod 
firmly down with the foot, then the balance is filled in and 
leveled up. 

Cuttings require particular attention in the way of 
weeding and hoeing ; if weeds grow up thickly, and ap- 
propriate the moisture of the ground, or if the surface be 
allowed to crack, as it may, after rains, if not quite sandy, 
they will either make a feeble growth or fail entirely. 
The ground wants repeated stirring to keep it friable and 
perfectly free from weeds. 

Section 2. — Pkopagation by Layering. 

A layer is similar to a cutting, except that it is allowed 
to remain in partial connection with the parent plant 
until it has emitted roots. On this account, layers are 
mucli more certain than cuttings. It is the surest and 
most simple method of propagating the Grape and the 
Gooseberry^ and also the Quince^ Paradise^ and Doucin, 
for stocks. It may bo performed in the spring with shoots 
of the previous year's growth, before vegetation has com- 
menced, or in July and August, on wood of the same 
season's growth. The ordinary mode of doing it is, first, 
to spade over and prepare the ground in which the branch 
is to be laid, in order to make it light and friable. The 
branch is then brought down to the ground (fig. 63) ; an 
incision is made at the base of bud, A^ through the bark 
and partly through the wood ; the knife is drawn upward, 
splitting the shoot an inch or two in length, and the 
branch is laid in the earth with the cut open, and kept 
down by means of a crooked or hooked wooden peg, S. 
The earth is then drawn in smoothly around, covering it 
two or three inches deep ; and the end of the shoot that 
is above ground is tied up to a stick, (7, if it requires 



PEOPAGATION BY LAYERING. 



87 




A COMMON LATER. 

incision ; i?, hooked pc: 
C, stake. 



support. In the Grape^ Gooseberry, or Currant, a simple 
notch below a bud is suificient, and they will root it* sim> 

ply pegged down ; but roots 
are formed more rapidly 
v»hen the shoot is cut one- 
tliird through, and slit as 
described. 

A long shoot of the vine 
mriy be layered at several 
points, and thus produce 
several rooted plants in the 
course of one season. This 
is called serpentine layering 
(fig. 64). The Quince, Para- 
dise, and Doucin stocks, 
where raised in large quan- 
tities, are propagated in a 
different way from that de- 
scribed. The process requires much less labor; and 
Avhere plants root so freely as they do, it answers every 
purpose. 

We will take a plant of the quince, for example, and, 
in the spring, before grovv^th commences, we cut it down 
nearly to the ground, leaving four or five buds at its base 
(^,fig. C5). Dur- 
ing that season, a 
number of vig- 
orous shoots will 
be made. The 
folio win 2: au- 



tumn or sprmg 1 
the earth is 
drawn up around 

the base of the ^^•^^- 6i.-SEHPENTINE LATEU. 

plant, so that the crown, where it was cut, will be covered, 
and, consequently, the base of all the shoots for several 




88 



GENEEAL PRINCIPLES. 



inches in height. During the next summer's growth, every 
branch is sufficiently rooted to be separated and placed in 

nursery rows the following 
spring. This is the way to 
obtain strong stocks ; for the 
cutting back of the mother 
plant produces very vigorous 
shoots the first season, and 
when another season's 
growth is added, they are as 
strong as can be desired. 
TVe succeed in rooting 
these shoots the first season 
of their growth by earth- 
ing them up about mid- 
summer; but they are not 
was cat back. quite strong enough, or suf- 

ficiently rooted, for transplanting and budding the fol- 
lowing season. 




Fig. 65.— MOUND -LAYERING OR 

B.\NKING-UP. 

A, the point at which the mother plant 



Section 3. — Propagation by Suckers. 



SiccTcers are shoots sent up from the roots. We observe 
them most frequently around trees that liave had their 
roots wounded by the spade or plo'.v. The wounds induce 
the formation of buds, and these buds send up shoots. 
They are occasionally used from nece.<^sity for stocks, but 
should not bo employed where seedlings can be obtained. 
Occasionally, we find certain varieties of plum throw up 
fine vigorous suckers, that would make excellent stocks if 
taken oif with goad roots ; but their tendency to produce 
suckers renders them exceedingly annoying in gardens, 
and, on this account, objectionable. The roots of the 
raspberry are full of buds, and, consequently, throw 
up great quantities of suckers, and the smallest cuttings 



PROPAGATION BY BUDDING. 89 

of the roots will grow. Suckers, of any plants, that can 
easily be propagated by cuttings or layei-s, should never 
be used. 

Section 4. — Propagation bt Budding. 

This operation is performed during the growing season, 
and usually on young trees from one to five years old, 
with a smooth, soft bark. It consists in separating a bud, 
with a portion of bark attached, from a shoot of the cur- 
rent season's growth of one tree, and inserting it under 
the bark of another. When this bud begins to grow, all 
that i:)art of the stock above it is cut away, tlie bud grows 
on, and eventually forms a tree of the same variety as 
that from Avhich it was taken. Buds may be inserted in 
June, and make considerable growth the same season, as 
they do in the South, but, as a general tiling, this is not 
desirable in the propagation of fruit trees. The ordinary 
season in the Northern States is from the middle of July 
until the middle of September, and the carliness or late- 
ness at which a species is budded depends, other things 
being equal, on the condition of its growth. 

Those accomplishing their growth early in the season 
are budded early, and those that grow until the autumn 
are budded late. Thus the season extends over a period 
exceeding two months. In all cases, the following condi- 
tions are necessary : 

1st. The buds must he perfectly developed in the axils 
of the leaves on the young shoots intended to bud from. 
This is seldom the case until the shoot has temporarily 
ceased to lengthen, as indicated by the perfect formatio.i 
of its terminal bud. 

If buds are wanted before this condition naturally ar- 
rives, their maturity may be hastened very much by 
pinching the tips of the shoots. In ten or twelve days 
after the pinching of a very soft shoot, its buds are fit for 
working. 



90 GEN^ERAL PRIXCIPLES. 

2d. The harh must raise freely from the stocks to he bud- 
ded. This only happens when the stocks are in a thrifty 
and growing state. Trees that accomplish most of their 
growth early in the season, must be watched and budded 
before they cease to grow ; those that grow very late must 
not be budded early, or the formation of new wood will 
surround and cover the buds ; in gardener's language, 
they will be " drowned by the sap." 

The implements needed arc a pruning-knife^ to dress 
the stocks by removing any branches that may be in the 
way of inserting the bud; and a hudding Jcnlfe^ to take 
oif the buds and make the incisions in the stock. The 
latter should have a very thin, smooth, and keen edge. 

Strings for tying in the buds are either taken from bass 
mats, or they are prepared from the bark of the bass wood. 
"We always prepare our own ; we send to the woods and 
strip the bark off the trees in June ; we then put it in 
water from two to three weeks, according to the age of 
the bark, until the fibrous, paper-like inner bark can be 
easily separated from the outer, when it is torn into strips, 
dried, and put away for use. 

Gutting and Preparwig the JBuds. — Young shoots, in 
the condition described, are cut below the lowest plump 
bud ; an inch or two of the base of every shoot, where 
the buds are very close together, and quite small, should 
be left. The leaves are then strii)ped off, leaving half of 
each leafstalk to handle the bud by, as in fig. C3. 

Preserving the Buds. — When a considerable quantity is 
cut at once, ihey should be stripped of the leaves and 
wrapped in a damp cloth as soon as cut ; and they may be 
preserved in good order for ten days, by keeping them 
in a cool cellar among damp sawdust, or closely en- 
veloped in damp cloths, matting, or moss. We often 
send buds a week's journey, packed in moss slightly 
moistened ; the leaves being off, the evaporation is trifling, 



PEOPAGATIOIS^ BY BUDDING. 



91 



none, in fact, when packed up, consequently very little 
moisture is needed. 

Having the stocks, buds, and implements in the condi- 
tion described, the operation is performed in this way : 

The shoot to bud from is taken in one hand, and the 
budding-knife in the other; the lower part of the edge of 

the knife is placed on 
the shoot, half an inch 
above the bud to be 
removed (A, fig. 66) ; 
the thumb of the knife- 
hand rests on the shoot 
below the bud J^ ; a, 
drawing cut is then 
made parallel with the 
shoot, removing the 
bud and the bark, to 
which it is attached, 
half an inch above and 
three-quarters below 
it. This is the usual 

Fig. 66, a shoot of buds with the leaves -i ^] i - •. 

taken off, showing the position of the knife in i^^gtll, DUt It may, m 

removing a bud. Fig. 67, A bud badly taken many CaSCS, be sllOrtcr, 

off, with a hollow in the center. Fig. 68, A rr^^^ ^„. -^ ^„;i„ :„„4. 

eood bud ; A, root of bud ; B, root of feaf. ^he CUt IS made JUSt 

deep enough to be be- 
low the bark. A small portion of tl.e wood is always 
taken off with it, and if this adheres firmly, it should 
be allowed to remain; if it parts freely, it should be 
taken out, but in doing so, the root of the bud must 
be carefully preserved, for if it comes out with the 
wood, the bud is useless. The root of the bud, as it 
is termed, is a small portion of wood in the hollow 
part of the inside of the bad. Fig. 67 is a good bud ; 
A, root of bud, ^, root of leaf. Fig. 68 is imperfect, 
the roots of leaf and bud both out. A smooth place 
on the stock, clear of branches, is then chosen, wh.crc two 




Figs. 66 to 68. — budding. 



92 



GEZSTEIiAL, PRlNCIiPLES. 



incisions arc made to the depth of the bark, one across 
the end of the other, so as to form a "f? (^g- ^^) I ^^^^ hark 
on the two edges of the perpendicular cut is raised (fig. 
70) with the smooth ivory handle of the budding-knife, 
and the bud is inserted between them (fig. 71) ; the upper 
end of the bark attached to the bud is cut square, to fit 
to the horizontal cut on the stock ; the bass string is then 
wound around tiglitly, commencing at the bottom, and 
covering every part of the incision, leaving the bud itself 
and the leaf-stalk uncovered (fig. 72) ; the string is fasten- 
ed above the horizontal cut, and the work is done. The 





rigs. 



70. 71. 

to 72.-T-INSERTION OP THE BUD. 



Fig. 69, A, stock with the bark slit vertically and across. Fig. 70, the same, 
with the bark raised. Fig. 71, the same, with the biid inserted. Fig. 72, the 
same, tied up. 

success of the operation, as far as its execution is con- 
cerned, depends, in a great measure, on smooth cuts, an 
exact Jit of the bud to the incision inade for it^ secure^ 
close tying, that will completely exclude air and rain- 
water, and the quick perfonnance of the \\hole. The in- 
sertion of a bud should not, in any case, occupy more than 
a tniiiute y ordinary jpracticed budders will set two in 



PROPAGATION KY GRAFTING. 93 

that time, and often two hundred in an hour, with a per- 
son to tie. Wiiere the stocks and buds work well, two 
thousand is not an uncommon day's work in our nurseries, 
especially of cherries, peaches, and apples. Budding is 
usually mucli more successful when performed in moder- 
ately dry weather tlian in wet — the sap being in a condi- 
tion more favorable for the formation of a union between 
the stock and bud. 

The chief difficulty, experienced by beginners in bud- 
ding, is the proper removal of tlic bud. When it hap- 
pens that tlie knife passes exactly between the bark and 
wood, the bud cannot fail to be good ; but this rarely 
hapi^ens — more or less wood is attached, and the removal 
of this is the nice point. Where the buds are flat, the 
difficulty is less than when they have large, prominent 
shoulders, as tlie plum and pear have, in many cases. 
When all the wood is taken out of these, a cavity re- 
mains, which does not come in contact with the wood on 
whic'i the bud is placed, and therefore, although the bark 
unites well, the bud \vill not grow. A little practice will 
enable tlie budder to overcome tliis and all other me- 
chanical difficulties. 

Section 5. — PeopagatiojST by Grafting. 

Grafting is the inserti(m of a cion of one species or 
variety on the stem or branch of another, which is called 
the stoclc. Its principal object is the same as budding, 
to increase certain varieties that cannot be reproduced 
from seed with certainty ; but it is frequently performed 
with other objects in view. For instance : 

1o Fruit a New Variety. — A cion inserted in a branch 
of a bearing tree, will bear fruit perhaps the second year 
from the graft ; but if the same cion had been put on a 
young seedling, it would not have borne in ten years. 

One species is frequently grafted with success upon 



94 GENEEAL PRINCIPLES. 

another, by which certain important modifications are 
wrought upon both the size and fruitfuhiess of trees, and 
the quality of the fruits. Thus, we can graft, in many 
cases, with highly beneficial results, the peacli and npri- 
cot on the plum, the pear on the quince, strong-grow- 
ing species and varieties on weaker ones, and vice versa. 
But experience has established the fact, that there must 
be, between the stock and graft, a close alliance. We cannot 
graft an apple on a peachy nor a cherry on a pear / but the 
pear, the apple, quince, medlar, thorn, and mountain-ash 
— a naturally allied group — may, with more or less suc- 
cess, be worked upon one another. 

The French horticulturists, who are the most skillful 
and curious in all matters pertaining to tlie propagation 
of plants, describe in their works upwards of one hun- 
dred dliFerent modes of grafting, practiced in different 
ages and countries, and for the attainment of particular 
objects ; but, hoAVCver interesting the study of all these 
may be to the student and experimentalist, the great bulk 
of them arc of little practical utility, and are never applied 
in the multiplication of fruit trees. It is, therefore, un- 
necessary to fill up the pages of such a treatise as this, 
with either a historical account, or description of them. 
The methods described below are those universally adopt- 
ed, with slight modifications, by the best practical propa- 
gators everywhere at the present day. 

Stocks are of all ages, from a yearling seedling to a 
tree forty or fifty years old ; but of whatever age, they 
should be soiuid and healthy. ISTursery stoaks will be 
more ])articularly spoken of in the proper place. 

Glons are generally shoots of tlie previous year's 
growth. Those bearing fruit-buds are only used for 
the purpose of experiment, and in that rarely. They 
should be cut in the autumn after the fall of the leaf, or 
in the mnter, and be preserved carefully in earth until 
wanted for use. If intended for root-grafting early in the 



PROPAGATION BY GRAFTING. 95 

spring in the houso, it will be sufficient to bury tlieir 
lower ends in earth, in a cool, dry cellar ; but if wanted 
for out-door grafting, they should be buried in dry sand 
soil, in a pit, on the north side of a wall or fence, and 
deeply covered with earth drawn up in a mound to throw 
off the water. They are thus kept perfectl\- dormant un- 
til used, and not so dry as to shrivel the bark. They 
should always be taken from liealthy, vigorous trees ex- 
clusively, and be of firm, well-ripened wood from the up- 
per branches of the tree. A moderate-sized shoot or cion, 
if well matured and sound, is much better than one as 
thick as a man's finger, /)/^Ay ^"^ unripe. The implements 
used in grafting are tiie graftlng-hnlfe, saw, and chisel, 
(see implements). In whip-grafting or splice-grafting, 
the stocks being small require the knife only, or not more 
than the knife and chisel. It is always better to have two 
knives — one to prune and do the rough work, and the 
other to prepare the cion. Grafting coonpositlon is pre- 
pared in various ways. liosin, heesioax, and tallow, in 
about equal parts, answer very well. Lately, however, 
we have found it better to use mpre rosiu and less bees- 
wax and tallow ; thus, to two pounds of rosin we add one 
and one-fourth pounds of beeswax, and three-fourths of a 
pound of tallow. For whip-grafting on the root, and 
small trees in the nursery, we use thin calico cloth, satu- 
rated with this compositio!!, instead of the composition it- 
self, and find it more convenient and expeditious. For 
root grafts, instead of cloth, we now use paper, which we 
find answers the purpose perfectly. This paper is a cheap 
brown article known here as " grafting paper " and is used 
by nearly all nurserymen for this purpose. The liquid 
wax is spread on the paper with a brush, after which it is 
cut into strips an inch or so wide, ready for use. (Instead 
of tallow we now use raw linseed oil, a pint of which is equal 
to a pound of tallow.) We tear the calico into narrow 
strips, roll it into balls, and then soak it in the liquid com- 



9G 



GENERAL PRINCIPLES. 



position until every pore of the cloth is filled with it. The 
person who applies it to the grafts takes it from these 
halls, tears it in pieces the length and breadth required 
by the size of the stock, and two or three turns of it 
around the graft secure it completely. This thin cloth 
soon decays, and yields to the enlargement of the part it 
incloses. We have tried tow, paper, and other materials, 
but find this the best. Having the cions, implements, 
and composition in readiness, the work is performed as 
follows : 

Whip- Grafting on the Root. — For this purpose, seed- 
ling stocks are generally used, one or two 
years old, varying from one-fourth to three- 
eighths of an inch in diameter. The graft is 
always made at the collar, and, therefore, the 
stems of the plants are cut off at that 
point ; the small tap-roots and any cumbrous 
fibres are removed, 
leaving them about 
four inches in length 
(fig. 73) ; they are then 
washed clean, and are 
ready for the opera- 
tion. The grafter then 
makes a smooth, even, 
sloping cut, an inch 
long, upwards, on the 
collar of the root, A / 
and in the center of 
this cut he makes a 
slit or tongue, -Z?, 
downwards. The cion, 
wliich should be three 





-liOOT GKAFTING. 



or 



Fig-s. 73 to 75. 

Fig. 73, the root; J., the sloping cut; B^ the 
tongue. Fig. 74, the cion ; J., tlie sloping cut ; 
four inches long i/, the tongne. Fig. 75, the union of cion and 

stock. 



(fig. 74), is cut on the 

lower end with a sloping cut downwards, and similar 



PROPAGATIOX BY GRAFTING. ^7 

in all respects to that made on the stock ; a slit, or 
tongue, is made in it upwards, B^ corresponding, also, 
with that on the stock; and they are then neatly fitted 
together, the tongue of the one within the other (fig. 
75), and the inner barks of both placed in close and 
perfect contact, at least on one side. The fit should 
be so complete as to sit close and firm in all parts. 
The person who applies the wax takes a narrow strip 
of the cloth or paper described, and wraps it firmly 
around, covering the parts united. A man and boy can 
graft of these, twelve to fifteen hundred per day, and by 
a special efibrt, two thousand. When the grafting is thus 
performed, the grafted plants are put away as closely as 
they can be packed in small boxes, with sandy earth 
among the roots, and deposited either in a cold cellar or 
in a dry place out of doors, where frost cannot penetrate 
to the roots, until planting time in spring. 

Whip- Grafting on small trees, standing in the open 
ground, is performed in precisely the same manner, the 
oblique or sloping cut and tongue, corresponding in stock 
and graft, fitting into each other with precision, and the 
inner bark of both, at least on one side, j^laced in close 
contact. Stocks an inch in diameter can be grafted in this 
way. Either the cloth or the liquid composition may be 
applied, the latter put on with a brush. For all moderate 
sized stocks the cloth is preferable. In cold weather, a 
small furnace can be kept at hand to keep the composi- 
tion in working order. 

Cleft Grafting is practiced on trees or branches too 
large for whip grafting — say from an inch in diameter up- 
wards. In this case, the cion is cut precisely in the form 
of a Avedge (fig. 76). The part cut for insertion in the 
stock should be about an inch or an inch and a half long, 
with a bud (^4) at the shoulder, where it is to rest on the 
stock ; this bud hastens the union of the parts in tlie same 
way as a bud at the base of a cutting, set in the earth, 
5 



98 



GENERAL PRINCIPLES. 



hastens and facilitates the emission of roots ; the outer 
edge should also be somewhat thicker than the inner. A 
sloping cut {A, fig. 77) is then made on the stock, an inch 
and a half long ; another cut (JS) is made across this cut, 
about half way down, as at point B; the stock is split on 

one side of the phh 
by laying the chisel 
on tlie horizontal 
surface, and strik- 
ing lightly with a 
mallet ; the split is 
kept open with the 
knife or chisel until 
the cion is insert- 
ed, with the thick 
side out (^1, fig. 
78). Grafts of this 
kind heal much 
more rapidly than 
when cut at once 
^-.. i illliil' ' ffllilil horizontally, Yery 

large branches are 
sawed horizontally 
off at the point to 
be grafted {A^ fig. 
79) ; the surface is 
then pared smooth 
with the knife, a 




riffS. 76 to 78. — CLEFT GRAFTING. 



Fig. 76, cion, with sloping cut on east side, like a gpJi^ ig made with 

wedge ; J., bud at the shoulder ; JB, section showing J -i • i i • 

shape of wedge. Fig. 77. the stoclc cnt and split ; A, ^^^ Chisei, nearly m 

the sloping cut; B, horizontal cut. Fig. 78, the cion the Center, and twO 
inserted in the stoclv. .. 

wedge-iike cions in- 
serted {A, B^ fig. 80) ; if both grow, and they are after- 
wards too close, one can be cut away. Another mode of 
grafting such large stocks, or branches, is to cut them off 
horizontally, as above, and pare them smooth with the 



Pr.OP.VClATlOX JiY GRAFTING 



99 



knife ; tlieii cut tlic cioii on one side, about an inch and 
a half long, making a shoulder at the top; then raise the 
bark from the stock with the handle of a budding-knife, 
and insert the cion between the bark and wood; ap- 
ply the composition the same as in the others, all over 
the cut part. Two oi- throe cions may be put in each. 
The principal objection to this mode is that the grafts, if 
they grow rapidly, are apt to 
be blown ofi' before they have 
united strongly to the stock. 

The great points to observe 
always, are — to have sharp in- 
struments, that will make 
smooth, clean cuts ; to have 
placed in perfect contact the 
inner barks of cion and stock ; 
to have the whole cut surface 
and every portion of the spht 
perfectly covered with the com- 
position, and to exclude air and 
water. The cion should always 
be cut close to a bud at the point 
{A, fig. 76), and have a bud at 
the shoulder, or [)oint of union 
with the stock {A, fig. 78). 

In grafting the heads of Inrge 
trees, it is not convenient to use 
the composition in a melted 
state, to be put on with the 
brush, and the large cut surfaces 

, n 1 J .,, ^T Fig. 79, the stock cut horizontnllr 

cannot well be covered with the , J„,, ^, ^. Fi„ go, the samcs 
cloth ; it is, therefore, better to with two cions inserted, 
use the composition in such a state that it can be put on 
with the hands. A very sm.nll quantity of brick-dust may 
be advantageously mixed with it when intended for this 
purpose, to prevent its being melted by the sun» 




79. 


80. 


Figs. 


79 and 80.— cleft 




GRAFTING. 



100 GENEIIAL PKINCIPLES. 

Double Working. — When we graft or bud a tree already 
budded or grafted, we call it " double- worked." Certain 
very important advantages are gained by it. Some varie- 
ties are of such feeble growth, that it is impossible to 
make good trees of them in the ordinary way of working 
on common stocks. In such cases, we use worked trees 
of strong growing sorts as stocks for them. 

Many varieties of the pear do not unite well with the 
quince stock ; we therefore bud other varieties of strong 
growth, that do succeed, and use them for stocks to work 
the others on. By this means vre arc enabled to possess 
dwarf trees of many varieties, that we could not other- 
wise have in that form. Wc have fruited the Dix in two 
years by double working on the quince, when otherwise 
it would have taken not less than seven. Some varieties 
of fruit trees are much better than others, though of equal 
vigor, to graft upon. In the pear, for example, we find 
the White Doyenne makes a good stock for almost all 
other varieties — superior, in this respect, to any other we 
liave ever experimented with. A great many improve- 
ments may be effected, not only in the form and growth 
of trees, but in the quality of the fruit, by double work- 
ing. Yery few experiments have yet been made on the 
subject in this country, except from necessity ; but the 
general interest now felt on all matters pertaining to fruit- 
tree culture cannot fail to direct attention to this and 
similar matters that have heretofore, in a great measure, 
been overlooked. 



CHAPTER Y. 

PRUNING— ITS PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE. 
Pruning is one of the most important operations con- 
nected with the management of trees. From the removal 
of the seedling plant from the seed-bed, through all its 



PRUNING. 101 

successive stages of growth nnd maturity, pruning, to 
some extent, and for some purpose, is necessary. It may 
therefore, be reasonably presumed that no one is capable 
of managing trees successfully, and especially those con- 
ducted under certain forms, more or less opposed to 
nature, without knowing well how to prune^ lohat to prune ^ 
and when to prune. This knowledge can only be acquired 
by a careful study of the structure of trees, because the 
pruning applied to a tree must (aside from the general 
principles on which all pruning depends) be adapted to 
its particular habits of growth and mode of bearing its 
fruit. It is in view of this fact that the chapter on the 
structure and mode of formation of the different parts of 
fruit trees has been given in the first part of this treatise, 
that it may form the basis of this branch of culture. 

The idea that our bright American sun and clear at- 
mosphere render pruning analmost unnecessary operation, 
has not only been inculcated by horticultural writers, but 
has been acted upon in practice to such an extent, that 
more than three-fourths of all the bearing fruit trees in 
the country are at this moment either lean, misshaped 
skeletons, or the heads are perfect masses of wood, unable 
to yield more than one bushel in ten of fruit, well matur- 
ed, colored, and ripened. 

This is actually the case even in what may be called, 
in comparison, well-managed orchards. Look at the dif- 
ference between the fruits produced on young and old 
trees. The former are open, the fruits are exposed to the 
sun, and, therefore, they are not only large and perfect, 
but their skins are smooth and brilliant, as though they 
were painted and polished. This ought to teach us some- 
thing about pruning. But this is only one point. We 
prune one portion of a tree to reduce its vigor, and to 
favor the growth of another and weaker part. We prune 
a stem, a branch, or a shoot, to produce ramifications of 
these parts, and thus change or modify the form of the 



103 GKNERAL P11INC11'LE&. 

whole. We i3rune to induce fruitfulness, and to diminish 
it. We prune in the growing as well as in the dormant 
season, and, finally, we prune botli roots and branches. 
Thus we see that pruning is applied to all parts of the 
tree, at all seasons, and to produce the most opposite 
results. 

It appears necessary to treat of pruning, under each of 
these circumstances, separately. 

1st. Pruning to direct the Growth from one part of 
a tree to another. — The first period in the existence and 
growth of a tree in wliich this becomes necessary, is in 
the nursery. Those who have had any experience in tree 
culture, have observed that young trees in nursery rows 
have a tendency to increase in lieight without acquiring a 
well-proportioned increase in diameter. In certain cases, 
this want of proportion becomes so great, tliat the tree 
bends under its own weight, and hence it is necessary to 
resort to some method of propping it up. This condition 
is attributable to se\'eral causes. First, the absence of a 
sufficient amount of air and light around the stem, to 
enable the leaves on it to fulfill their functions properly. 
It has been shown that the formation of new wood de- 
pends upon the elaborating process carried on in the 
leaves, and that this process can be maintained only in a 
free exposure to the sun and air. Tliis being the case, it 
is obvious that any part of the tree excluded from the 
action of these agents caimot keep pace in growth with 
other parts to which they have full access. In nursery 
rows, as trees are usually planted, the stems, after the 
first year's growth, are to a great extent excluded from 
the light, consequently the buds and leaves on them can- 
not perform their parts in the creation of new wood. The 
top of the tree, however, is fully exposed, and, conse- 
quently, it makes a rapid growth towards the free air and 
light. When this is continued for two or three years in 
succession, the tree becomes top-heavy; the quantity of 



PRUNING. 103 

woody fibre at the top is as great as, and it may be 
greater than, at the bottom ; and hence it bends under 
its own weight. 

2d. The tendency of the sap to the growing points 
at the top of the tree. — Growth is always the most ac- 
tive and vigorous at the newly formed parts, when trees 
are in a natural condition. Tlie young buds are the most 
excitable, and the more direct their communication with 
the roots, the more rapid will be tlieir growth. Hence 
it is that a yearling tree, furnished with fifteen to twenty 
buds or more, from its base to its top, frequently produces 
a shoot from its terminal bud only, and seldom more than 
three or four shoots from the whole number of buds, and 
these at the top. This natural tendency, and the exclu- 
sion of light from the stems of nursery trees by their 
closeness to one another, are the chief causes of weak 
and crooked trees, to counteract which we resort to 
pruning. 

In " heading down " a young tree^ we cut away one- 
third or one-half of the length of the stem, and this removes 
the actively growing parts. The sap must then find new 
channels. Its whole force is directed to the buds that were 
before dormant; they are excited into growth, and produce 
new vv-ood and leaves ; these send down new layers of 
woody fibre on the old stem, and it increases rapidly in 
diameter, so that by the time it lias attained its former 
height, the base is two or three times as thick as the top, 
and possesses sufiicient strength to maintain an erect 
position. 

Maintaining an equal Growth among the branches of a 
tree is conducted on the same principle. Branches that 
are more favorably placed than others, appropriating more 
than their due proportion of the sap, and growing too vig- 
orously, are checked by removing more or less of their 
growing points ; this lessens the flow of sap to that 
point, and it naturally takes its course to the growing 



104 GEXERAL PRTXCIPLES. 

parts of the weaker branches that were left entire, and 
thus a balance is restored. 

Fruning to renev) the Growth of stunted trees. — It 
frequently happens that trees, from certain causes, become 
stunted, and almost cease to grow, and every part as- 
sumes a comparatively dormant condition. In such cases 
they are cut back, the number of their buds and leaves is 
reduced, the whole force of the sap is made to act upon 
the small number remaining, and enables them to produce 
vigorous young shoots ; these send down new woody 
matter to the stem, new roots are also formed, and tlius 
the whole tree is renewed and invigorated, 

Fruning to indwie Fruitftdness. — This is conducted on 
the principle that whatever is favorable to rapid, vigorous 
growth, is unfavorable to the immediate production of 
fruit. Hence, the object in view must be to check gro^^ th 
and impede the circulation of the sap — just the opposite 
of pruning to renew growth. The only period at which 
this pruning can be performed, is after vegetation has 
commenced. If a tree is severely pruned immediately 
after it has put forth its leaves, it receives such a check ns 
to be unable to produce a vigorous growth the same 
season ; the sap is impeded in its circulation, and the re- 
sult is that a large number of the young shoots that 
woiild have made vigorous wood branches, had they not 
been checked, assume the character of fruit spurs and 
branches. Filching is the principal mode of pruning 
to promote fruitfulness, and will be explained hereafter. 
It depends upon the above principle of impeding the 
circulation of the sap and checking growth. 

Fruning to diminish Fruitfulness is conducted on the 
same principle as that to renew growth, for this, in fact, 
is the object. 

Fruning the Foots. — This is practiced as well to pro- 
mote fruitfulness as to lessen tlie dimensions of trees. 
The roots, as hns been shown, are the organs that absorb 



PRUNING. 105 

from the ground the principal food of the tree, and in pro- 
portion to their number, size, and activity, other things 
being equal, are the vigor and growth of tlie stem and 
branches. Hence, when a tree is deprived of a certain 
portion of its roots, its supply of food from the soil is 
lessened, growth is checked, the sap moves slowly in its 
channels, is better elaborated in the leaves, and the young 
branches and buds begin to assume a fruitful character. 

Boots are also pruned to prevent them from penetrat- 
ing too deeply into the earth, and to induce the formation 
of lateral roots near the surface, similar to the cutting 
back of a stem to produce lateral branches ; the principle 
is the same. 

Frunlng at the time of Transplanting. — This is per- 
formed, not only to remove bruised and broken roots and 
branches, but to restore the tree to a proper balance. As 
trees are ordinarily taken from tlie o-round, the roots are 
bruised, broken, or mutilated, to a greater or less extent. 
This obviously destroys the natural balance or proportion 
that existed between the roots and stem, and in such a 
condition the tree is unable to grow. The demand upon 
the roots must therefore be lessened by reducing the stem 
and brandies in length or number, or both ; and the more 
the roots ha\e sufiered, the greater must be the reduction 
of the stem and branches to bring them to a correspond- 
ing condition. 

PRUNING MECHANICALLY CONSIDERED. 

Having now treated of the principles on which prun- 
ing depends, it remains to speak of its mechanical execu- 
tion ; for it is not only necessary to know what and why, 
but how to prune. Theory is only useful as it serves to 
guide in practice. 

1st. Prxming Stems or Branches. — The great point to 
be observed in making incisions on the stems and branches 
5* 



106 



GENEEAL PRINCIPLES. 



of trees, is to provide for the speedy and perfect healing 
of the wounds, or cut surfaces. In removing a portion of 
a branch, or stem, if we cut between two joints, and thus 
leave a portion of wood above the bud intended to be 
cut to, as in fig. 81, this wood dies, and we have the 
trouble of another pruning to remove it. If we cut too 
close to the bud, and thus remove a portion of the wood 
with which it is connected, as in fig. 82, the bud will 
either die, or disappoint us by producing a very feeble 
growth. The proper way is to take the branch to be 
operated on in the left hand, place the edge of the knife 




Figs. 81 to 84.— PRUNING. 

Fig. 81, cutting too far above the bud. Fig. 82, cutting too close. Fig. 83, the 
cut as it should be. Fig. 84, removal of a brancli, the cross-line indicating the 
proper place for the cut. 

on it, opposite the lower part of the bud to be cut to, 
and then make a firm, quick, smooth draw-cut, sloping 
upwards, so that the knife will come out on a level with 
the point of the bud, as in fig. 83. In soft-wooded, pitliy 
trees, like the grape-vine, for example, half an inch of 
wood ought to be left above the bud. The cut should 
also be made as much as possible on the lower side of the 
branch to prevent rain from lodging in the center. The 
position of the bud cut to is also worthy of consideration 
in pruning, to produce or modify certain forms. When 



PRUNING. 107 

we wish the new shoot of a, lateral branch to take, as 
much as possible, an uprlrjht direction, we prune to a bud 
on the inside ; and if we wish it to spread, we choose 
one on tlie outside. In the annual suppression, or cutting 
back of young trees, to form a stem or side branches, the 
bud selected to form the leader is chosen on opposite 
sides every successive year, in order to maintain the growth 
in a straight line. If cut every year to a bud on the 
same side, it would, in two or three seasons, show an 
inclination to that side injurious to the symmetry of the 
tree. 

The removal of large Branches, where they are to be 
entirely separated from the tree, is often very clumsily 
performed. In orcliards, it is not at. all uncommon to see 
them chopped oif with a common axe ; and even in gar- 
dens there seem to be few j)ersons who either know how, 
or take the proper care in this matter. They are either 
cut so that a portion of the base of the branch remains, 
and sends out vigorous shoots, defeating the objects of 
the pruning, or they are cut so close that a portion of the 
wood of the main branch or stem is taken with them, 
and a wound made that years are required to heal up. 
Both these extremes ought to be avoided. 

The surface of the cut made by the removal of a branch 
should in no case be larger than the base of the branch. 
Where a branch is united to another or to tlie main stem, 
we notice, both above and , below the point o? union, a 
small projection, or shoulder, as at the cross-line in fig. 
84. The knife must enter just below that shoulder, and, 
by being drawn upwards in a straight line, the base is so 
completely removed that no slioots can be produced there, 
and yet the cut surface on the stem is no larger than the 
base of the branch. When the saw is used, the surface 
of the cut should be pared smooth with the knife, both 
to prevent water lodging on it, and to facilitate the heal- 
ing of the wound. 



108 GENERAL PRINCIPLES. 

2d. Pruning the Hoots. — This is perf(n*med by opening 
a trench around the tree, just at the extremities of the 
roots : the distance from the tree will, therefore, depend 
on its size, and the spreading character of the roots. 
The trench should be the width of a common garden 
spade, and deep enough to admit of an inspection of all 
the roots of the tree. If the lateral roots are to be short- 
ened, this is done first. The knife should be placed on 
the lower side of the root, and the part separated with a 
clean draw-cut, such as would be performed on a branch. 
If the tree has vertical or tap roots, they are most 
easily opei'ated on with a sharp spade, prepared and kept 
for the purpose. A smart stroke with such a spade, in as 
nearly a horizontal direction as possible, will separate a 
pretty strong root. The extent to whicli root pruning 
may be performed depends on the character of the spe- 
cies, the condition of the tree as regards growth, and the 
object aimed at. Those practising it for the first time 
should go to work with great caution. It will be better 
to operate too lightly than too severely. As regards the 
season, it may be performed either at the end of the first 
growth, in July or August, or in the autumn or winter, 
when vegetation is quite suspended. We have operated 
on cherry trees with complete success in August, in a dry 
time, when little growth was going on. At this season, 
a copious watering should be given after the pruning is 
performed. 

Implements of pruning, and the mode of using them, 
will be treated of in the chapter on implements, to be 
given hereafter. 

The Season for Prunmg. — We are not permitted to be 
very definite on this point. The climate, the nature of 
the species, etc., control the period of pruning to a great 
extent. In the South, what we term the winter pruning 
— ^that performed during the dormant season — may be 
done very soon after the fall of the leaf. In the North, 



PRUNING. 109 

it is deferred to February, March, and even April. In 
Western New York, we prune apples, pears ^ and otlier 
hardy fruits nny time thnt we have leisure, between the 
fall of the leaf and the first of April. 

The peach we prune just as the buds begin to swell. 
The fruit and leaf buds are then easily distinguished from 
one another, and the objects of the pruning are accom- 
plished with more precision. 

Grapes may be pruned any time in the winter, as a 
portion of wood is always left above the bud ; and if the 
wood is wanted for proprigation, it should be cut before 
the season of severe frosts arrive, as the buds are liable 
to be injured. Gooseberries and currants, also, any time 
in winter. The stone fruits should always be lightly 
pruned, because severe amputations almost invariably 
produce the gum. Where it is absolutely necessary, in 
the spring, the wound should be coated with grafting 
composition, or with that recommended by Mr. Downing: 
" Alcohol, with sufficient gum shellac dissolved in it to 
make a liquid of the consistence of paint, to be put on 
v.'ith a brush." 

This excludes air, and is not affected by changes of 
weather. 

Pinching is a sort of anticipated pruning, practiced 
upon the young growing shoots, intended to promote a 
uniform circulation of the sap, and thus regulate the 
growth, and also to induce fnutfulness. 

1st. To regulate the Growth. — In the management of 
trees, this is an operation of great importance, as it obvi- 
ates the necessity of heavy amputations being made at 
the winter or spring pruning. Instead of allowing ceitain 
superfluous or misplaced shoots to acquire their full de- 
velopment at the expense of other parts, we pinch them 
early, and give to the necessary parts, or branches of the 
tree, the nutriment which they would have appropriated 
if allowed to remain. In this way we are able to obtain 



110 



GENERAL PRINCIPLES. 



results in one season that two or more would be required 
for, if we depended wholly on the winter pruning. We 
will suppose, for an example, tlie case of a young nursery 
tree in the second year, intended for a standard. In ordi- 
nary cases, the terminal bud, either the natural one or 




^ ^ 



Fig. 85, A — Fig. 85, B. — puuning and pinching. 

Fig 85, A^ head of a young tree ; h, the leader ; a, a, vigorous shoots below 
it, that ought to have been pinched. Fig. 85, 5, a branch of the pear, twice cut 
back, with the lateral shoots pinched ; a, a, the first section ; c, c, c, the second ; 
ft, and c?, d, shoots pinched close to favor the leader and those below them. 

that pruned to, is developed into the leading shoot or 
stem, and a greater or less number of buds below it pro- 
duce branches ; and it frequently happens that some of 



PRUNING. Ill 

these, if not ])inched, acquire so much A'igor as to injure 
the leader, and produce a consequent deformity in the 
tree. Figure 85 (A) represents a case of this kind, which 
is very common, and too often neglected. The shoots, a, 
a, ought to have been pinched the moment they began to 
exhibit a disposition to outgrow the leader. There are 
other cases, still worse than this, familiar to all tree 
growers ; for instance, where a strong shoot is produced 
on the middle or lower part of the stem, attracting an 
undue proportion of the sap, thus contracting the growth 
of all other parts, and giving the young tree a deformed 
character. All such shoots as these should be nipped 
early, the moment their character is apparent, and thus a 
year's growth, nearly, will be saved to the tree, and its 
proper form and proportions be preserved. In conducting 
young trees for pyramids, the constant and careful appli- 
cation of pinching is absolutely necessary, for in them we 
must have the lower branches always the strongest and 
longest, and it is only by operating on the shoots, in their 
earliest stages of growth, that we can fully attain this 
end; for the strongest shoots do not always grow at the 
desired point, but by timely attention they are perfectly 
within our control. The various accidents and circum- 
stances to which young trees are subject, give rise, in a 
multitude of cases, to an unequal distribution of the sap 
in their different parts, and this produces, to a greater or 
less extent, deformity of growth. This at once shows the 
necessity for pinching, to check the strong and favor the 
weak. 

Pinching to promote Fruitfulness. — Those who have 
never practised this, or observed its results, may have 
seen, if experienced in tree growing, that a shoot of which 
the point was broken, bruised, or otherwise injured, dur- 
ing the growing season, frequently becomes a fruit branch 
either during the same or the following season ; and this, 
especially if situated in the interior of the tree, or on the 



112 GENERAL PEINCIPLES. 

older and lower parts of the branches. The check given 
to the extension of the shoot concentrates the sap in the 
part remaining ; and, unless the check has been given 
very early in the season, or the growth is very vigorous in 
the tree, so that the buds will break and form shoots, they 
are certain to prepare for the production of fruit. It is 
on this principle of checking the growth and concentrat- 
ing the sap in the pinched shoot, that pinching to induce 
fruitfulness is performed ; and its efficiency may be esti- 
mated from the fact, that trees on which it has been prac- 
tised, have borne fruit four or five, and perhaps seven 
years, sooner than tliey would have done without it. 

It is a most useful operation in the case of vigorous 
growing and tardy bearing sorts. The mode of performing 
it is to pinch oif the end of the shoot with the finger and 
thnmb ; if a small portion of the remaining part be bruis- 
ed, no matter, it offers a greater check than if a clean cut 
were made, as in pruning to a bud; and in the general 
winter or spring pruning which follows, the bruised parts 
can be cleanly separated. The time to perform it depends 
wholly on circumstances. If the object be to regulate 
growth, then the time to do it is when the tendency to 
undue or ill-proportioned growth is first observable, and 
this will be from the time the young shoots are two to 
three inches long and upwards. The particular season of 
the year or day of the month will, of course, depend upon 
the earliness or lateness of the season, and on the soil and 
situation as well as on the habits of growth of the species 
or variety to be operated on. The true way is to be al- 
ways on the watch. If the object be to induce fruitful- 
ness, the length which the shoots should attain before 
being pinched, depends upon the nature or mode of growth 
and bearing of the species, and will be more definitely 
treated hereafter, under the head of "The Pruning of 
Trees ;" the object now being merely to indicate general 
principles and modes of operating. To illustrate this, let 



PRUNING. lis 

US suppose the lateral branch of a pear tree, (fig. 85, £). 
This was cut back the first time to b, and below that 
point five shoots were produced, none of which were need- 
ed for branches. We therefore pinched tliem in June, 
when about tliree inches long or thereabouts, and the 
result is, they are now fruit branches. Tlie same brancli 
was cut back the second time to d, d, and on that section 
seven shoots were produced that were not needed in the 
form of the tree, and were consequently pinched, and will 
become fruit branches. At the points b, and d, d, are 
small spurs, the base of shoots that have been pinched 
close to favor the growth of the leader, as well as the 
development of the shoots below. Without pinching, it 
would have been impossible to obtain such results in this 
branch in the same time. 

M. Dubreuil, formerly Professor of Arboriculture in the 
Garden of Plants at Rouen, in France, sums up the gen- 
eral principles of pruning as follows. (I may remark here, 
that in 1849 I visited the Rouen garden, and found M. 
Dubreuil's theory and practice beautifully illustrated on 
the trees in liis charge. My visit was made at the time 
of his practical lectures, and I was able to examine the 
whole with the most satisfactory minuteness. The trees 
there, under all forms, and embracing all the hardy spe- 
cies of fruits, were the best that I found anywhere, not 
even excepting the much admired and famous pyramidal 
pear trees of M. Cappe, at Paris. They were not only 
perfect in form, but, as regards vigor and fruitfulness^ in 
the most admirable condition.) He savs : 

" Tlie theory of the pruning of fruit trees rests on the 
following six general principles : 

" 1. The vigor of a tree^ subjected to x>vuriing^ depends^ 
in a great measure^ on the equal distribution of sap in all 
its branches. 

" In fruit trees abandoned to themselves, the sap is 
equally distributed in the different parts without any other 



114 GENERAL PRIXCIPLES. 

aid than nature, because the tree assumes the form most 
in harmony with the natural tendency of the sap.* 

" But in those submitted to pruning, it is different ; the 
forms imposed on them, such as espalier, pyramid, vase, 
etc., change more or less the normal direction of the sap, 
and prevent it from taking the form proper to its species. 
Thus nearly all the forms given to trees require the devel- 
opment of ramifications more or less numerous, and of 
greater or less dimensions at the base of the stem. And, 
as the sap tends by preference towards the summit of the 
tree, it happens that, unless great care be taken, the 
branches at the base become feeble, and finally dry up, 
and the form intended to be obtained disappears, to be 
replaced by the natural form, that is, a stem or a trunk 
with a branching head. It is then indispensable, if we 
wish to preserve the form we impose upon trees, to em- 
ploy certain means, by the aid of which the natural direc- 
tion of the sap can be changed and directed towards the 
points where we wish to obtain the most vigorous growth. 
To do this we must arrest vegetation in the parts to which 
the sap is carried in too great abundance, and on the con- 
trary favor the parts that do not receive enough. To ac- 
complish this the following means must be successively 
employed. 

" (1.) Prune the branches of the most vigorous parts very 
shorty and those of the weak parts long. Wc know that the 
sap is attracted by the leaves. The removal of a large 
number of wood-buds from the vigorous parts, deprives 
these parts of the leaves which these buds would have pro- 
duced ; consequently the sap is attracted there in less 
quantities, and the growth thereby diminished. The feeble 



* This is not true in all cases. Peach trees, ws know, in oar climate, left to 
themselves, exhibit a very striking exam})le of the unequal distribution of the 
sap. The ends of the branches attract nearly the wiiolc, leavinjj tlie lateral shoots 
and lower parts to die out. In other species, similar instances might be quoted, 
and as a general thing, the proposition is unsound, except in a comparative 
sense. 



PRUNIN<}. . llo 

parts being pruned long, present a greiit number of buds, 
which produce a large surface of leaves, and these attract 
the sap aiid acquire a vigorous growth. This principle 
holds good in all trees, under whatever form they may be 
conducted. 

" (2.) Leave a large quantity of fruit on the strong part^ 
and remove the whole^or greater part ^ from the feeble. We 
know already that the fruit has the property of attracting 
to it the sap from the roots, and of employing it entirely 
to its own growth. The necessary result of this is, what we 
are about to point out, viz., that all the sap which arrives 
in the strong parts, will be absorbed by the fruits, and the 
wood there, in consequence, will make but little growth; 
while on the feeble part, deprived of fruits, the sap will 
all be appropriated by the growing parts, and they will 
increase in size and strength. 

" (3.) Bend the strong parts ^ and 'keep the iceah erect. 
The more erect the branches and stem are, the greater will 
be the flow of sap to the growing parts ; hence, the feeble 
parts being erect, attract much more sap than the strong 
parts inchned, and, consequently, make a more vigorous 
growtli and soon recover their balance. This remedy is 
more especially applied to espalier trees. 

" (4.) Remove from the vigorous parts the superfluous 
shoots as early in the season as possible, and from the 
feeble parts as late as possible. The fewer the number of 
young shoots there are on a branch, the fewer there are 
of leaves, and consequently the less is the sap attracted 
there. Hence, in leaving the young shoots on the feeble 
part, their leaves attract the sap there, and induce a vigor- 
ous growth. 

" (5.) Pinch early the soft extremities of the shoots on the 
vigorous parts., and as late as possible on the feeble parts, 
excepting always any shoots which may be too vigorous 
for their position. By thus pinching early, the strong 
part, the flow of sap to that point is checked, and natural- 



116 GENERAL PRINCIPLES. 

ly turns to the growing parts that have not been pinch- 
ed ; this remedy is applicable to trees in all forms. 

" (6.) Lay in the strong shoots on the trellis early ^ and 
leave the feeble parts loose as long as possible. Laying in 
the strong parts obstructs the circulation of tlie sap in 
them, and consequently favors the weak parts tliat arc 
loose. This is only applicable to espaliers. 

" (7.) In espalier trees, giving the feeble parts the benefit 
of the light and confining the strong parts more in the 
shade, restores a balance, for light is the agent which en- 
ables leaves to perform their functions and their action on 
the roots, and the parts receiving tlie greatest proportion 
of it acquire the most vigorous development. 

"2. The sap acts with greater force and produces more 
vigorous growth on a branch or shoot pruned short than 
on one pruned long. This is easily explained. The 
sap, acting on two buds, must evidently produce a great- 
er development of wood on them than if it were divided 
between fifteen or twenty bud<. 

"It follows from tliis, that if we wish to obtain Avood 
branches, we prune short, for vigorous shoots j^roduce 
few fruit-buds. On the contrary, if we wish to obtain 
fruit branches, we prune long, because the most slender 
or feeble shoots are the most disposed to fruit. 

" Another application of this principle is to prune short, 
for a year or two, such trees or parts as have been enfee- 
bled by overbearing. (This principle deserves especial 
attention, as its application is of great importance.) 

'' 3. The sap tending always to the extremities of the 
shoots causes the terminal b id to push with greater vigor 
than the laterals. According to this principle, wlien we 
wish a prolongment of a stem or branch, we should prune 
to a vigorous wood-bud, and leave no production that can 
interfere with the action of the sap on it. 

" 4. The more the sap is obstructed in its circulation, 
the more lihely it will be to produce fruit-buds. This 



PKUNING. . IIT 

principle is founded on a fact to which we have already- 
had occasion to refer, viz., that the sap circulating slowly 
is subjected to a more complete elaboration in the tissues 
of the tree, and becomes better adapted to the formation 
of fruit-buds. 

" This principle can be applied to produce the following 
results : When we wish to produce fruit-buds on a branch, 
we prevent a free circulation of the sap by bending the 
branches, or by making annular or circular incisions on 
it ; and, on the contrary, when we wish to change a fruit 
branch into a wood branch, we give it a vertical position, 
or prune it to two or three buds, on which we concentrate 
the action of the sap, and thus induce their vigorous de- 
velopment. 

" 5. The leaves serve to prepare the sap absorbed by the 
roots for the nourishment of the tree^ and aid the forma- 
tion of buds on the shoots. All trees^ therefore, deprived 
of their leaves, are liable to perish. This principle shows 
how dangerous it is to remove a large quantity of leaves 
from trees under the pretext of aiding the growth or 
ripening of fruits, for the leaves are the nourishing organs, 
and the trees deprived of them cannot continue to grow, 
neither can the fruit ; and the branches so stripped will 
have feeble, ill-formed buds, which will, the following 
year, produce a weak and sickly growth. 

'* 6. Where the buds of any shoot or branch do not de- 
velop before the age of tv)o years, they can only be forced 
into activity by a very close pruning, and in some cases, 
as the peach, this even will often fail. This last principle 
shows the importance of pruning the main branches of 
espaliers especially, so as to insure the development of the 
buds of their successive sections, and to preserve well the 
side shoots thus produced, for without this, the interior 
of the tree will become naked and unproductive, and a 
remedy w:ill be very difficult." 

If these principles and practices of pruning be carefully 



118 GENERAL PKINCIPLES. 

studied in connection with the habits of growth and bear- 
ing of the different fruit trees, pruning will be compara- 
tively an easy matter. The mode of obtaining any par- 
ticular form or character cannot fail to be perfectly plain 
and simple ; yet no one need hope to accomplish, in all 
things, the precise results aimed at, for even the most 
skillful operator is sometimes disappointed; but those who 
give constant attention to their trees will always discover 
a failure in time to apply a remedy. 

I insist upon it, because I have been taught it by most 
abundant experience, that the most imremitting watch- 
fulness is necessary in conducting trees in particular forms. 
It is not, by any means, labor that is required, but attention 
that the most delicate hand can perform. Fifteen or twenty 
minutes at a time, say three times a week during active 
growth, will be sufficient to examine every shoot on a 
moderate collection of garden trees ; for the eye very soon 
becomes trained so well to the work, that a glance at a 
tree will detect the parts that are either too strong or too 
weak, or that in any way require attention. This is one 
of the most interesting features in the management of 
garden trees. We are never allowed to forget them. 
From day to day they require some attention, and offer 
some new point of interest that attracts us to them, and 
augments our solicitude for their prosperity, until it actu- 
ally grows into enthusiasm. 



P^RT II. 



THE NURSERT 



119 



THE NURSERY. 

CHAPTER I. 

Sbction 1. — Soil, Situation, etc. 

It is not a part of the design of this treatise to give 
anything like a full exposition of nursery operations, for 
this would, in itself, be a subject sufficiently extensive to 
form a volume ; but as all fruit growers should possess at 
least some knowledge of nursery management, it seems 
quite necessary that the more important points should be 
noticed. 

1st. The Soil^ as to Dryness. — ^For a fruit-tree nursery 
the soil must he perfectly dry^ both above and below. In 
damp, springy soils, or where the subsoil is so compact as 
not to admit of the surface water passing off immediately, 
trees do not thrive ; the roots are destitute of fibres, the 
wood is watery and delicate, and where frosts are severe, 
the trees are cast out of the ground by the expansion of 
the water with which the soil is filled. We have known 
of a single instance in which several thousand dollars 
were lost by planting a pear nursery on a soil imperfectly 
drained. The plants grew finely the first season, were 
budded, the buds had taken, and in the autumn all looked 
prosperous ; but the autumn rains filled the soil with water ; 
the situation was low and level, and the subsoil compact, 
so that the water could not possibly get away. The 
consequence was, the roots decayed, the plants were cast 
out of the ground, and the injury was so great and so 
general that the whole plantation had to be taken up. 
This ground was then thoroughly drained, and is now as 
good a pear soil as can be found. This single instance 
illustrates the importance of a dry soil, as well as twenty 
would. We frequently find that, in the same row of trees, 
if there happens to be a low, damp spot, the trees in it 
6 121 



122 THE NURSERY. 

have no fibrous I'oots, and are altogether inferior to those 
on the adjacent dry ground. 

2d. Depth. — As a general thing, the soil of a nursery 
should be a foot to eighteen inches deep ; but all trees do 
not require the same depth. Those (such as the pear) 
whose roots descend more than they spread^ require the 
deepest soil. The best quality of nursery trees are grown 
on common farming land, twice plowed with the common 
and subsoil plows, one following tlie other, as described 
in the chapter on soils. This gives depth enougli for all 
ordinary purposes. 

3d. Texture. — ^A soil of medium texture, between the 
heavy and the light, is, on the whole, the most advan- 
tageous, as being the best adapted to general purposes. 
A good friable loam, with a gravelly subsoil, or a mixture 
of sand, gravel, and clay, that will allow water to pass 
off freely, will be found suitable for almost any species ; 
and one great advantage of sucli a soil is, that it admits 
of rotation in cro[>s. 

4th. Quality. — For the growth of young fruit trees, a 
soil should be in such a condition as to furnish a sufficient 
supply of nutriment to insure a vigorous and robust 
growth ; but it may be too rich, and produce rank wood 
that will not mature properly, and be unable to withstand 
the change of climate or soil consequent upon transplant- 
ing. Where manures are used, they should be well de- 
composed ; fresh, warm manures excite trees into a very 
rapid growth, but the wood is watery and feeble. A dry 
soil, of moderate richness, produces hardy trees ; their 
wood is firm, the buds plump and close together, and the 
parts well proportioned. 

5th. Laying out. — Where the nursery is of considerable 
extent, the ground should be laid out and arranged in 
square or rectangular plots of convenient size, and be in- 
tersected with walks. One portion should be set apart 
for the propagation of stocks from layers, another for 



SOIL, KTC. 123 

cuttings, another for seeds, etc. In setting apart ground 
for tlie different kinds of trees, if there be a choice, llie 
pear should have the deepest and best, the phim the most 
compact or clayey, the peach, apricot, cherry, etc., the 
liglitest and driest. 

6th. Exposure. — Nursery ground for fruit trees should be 
well elevated, but not fully exposed to the prevailing high 
winds, as the young trees are apt to be broken off during 
the first year's growtli if not kept well tied up to stakes. 
la our section, we find it very advantageous to have some 
protection from the west winds especially, though we 
sometimes have a south wind quite destructive to the 
young buds in exposed places. Situations into which the 
snow is liable to drift should be avoided, in sections 
where heavy snow-storms prevail, for sometimes vast 
quantities of trees are broken down in corners of fences 
and slieltered situations where the snow accumulates in 
heavy drifts. 

7th. notation or Succession of Crops. — Tliis is quite as 
important in the management of the nursery as of the 
farm. Not more than one crop of one species should be 
planted on the same ground, and those of the most oppo- 
site character should follow one another. Where one 
species is grown on the same ground for eight or ten 
years, it is found by experience that even the most libernl 
manuring fails to produce sucli fine, sound, healthy, and 
vigorous trees iis new ground without manure. Where 
land is scarce, and it is necessary to use the same ground 
for the same kind of trees, it should at least be allowed 
one, but much better, two or three seasons' rest, and be 
well supplied with such material as the trees to be grown 
in it require, in the largest quantities, or in which the soil 
is found to be most deficient. Our own practice is to seed 
down with clover, and break up the second or third year; 
giving before plowing a dressing of manure, adapted in 
quantity and quality to the wants of the soil. 



124 the nursery. 

Section 2. — Description and Propagation of Stocks. 

This branch of the subject is of such importance, and 
involves so many considerations, that it seems to be more 
methodical to treat it separately from subsequent opera- 
tions. 

1st. Stocks for the Apple. — The principal stocks in use 
for the apple are the common seedling^ or free stocky the 
Doucin, and the Paradise. 

Seedlings, or free stocks, are ordinarily produced from 
seeds taken promiscuously from the cider-mill in the 
autumn. 

Preparing the Seed. — The cakes of pressed pomace are 
broken up, and the coarser materials, straw, etc., sepa- 
rated from it by means of a coarse sieve ; the sifted pomace 
is then put into large tubs, and subjected to repeated 
washings until clean. The clean, plump seeds fall to the 
bottom, and the pomace and ligbt, poor seeds are carried 
off in the washings. When fruits have been selected for 
the seeds, they are placed in heaps until fermentation and 
decay have reduced the flesh to a soft, pulpy state, when 
they are washed in tubs, in the same manner as pomace. 

Saving the Seed. — When the seed is washed out as 
above, it must be spread thinly on boards, and repeatedly 
turned over until j)erfectly dry, when it is put away in 
boxes, mixed with sand containing a slight degree of 
moisture. The boxes should be well secured against ver- 
min, and be kept in a dry, cool place until the time of 
planting. 

Season and Mode of Planting. — ^If the ground be in 
readiness, and perfectly dry and friable, the best time is 
the fall, as soon as the seeds are cleaned. At this season 
the pomace, seeds and all, as it comes from the press, may 
be planted without any washing. It should be broken 
up fine, so that it may be evenly distributed in the seed 
bed. The difficulty of doing this, is a serious objection to 



PKOPAGATION OP STOCKS. 125 

this mode. By taking some pains in the sowing, we raise 
as good stocks in this as in any other way ; the decayed 
pulp contributes considerable nutriment to the young 
plants in their earliest stage of growtli. 

When deferred until spring, it should be done at the 
earliest moment that the condition of the ground will ad- 
mit. When the ground is ready, a line is stretched along 
one side of the plot, and a drill opened with a hoe about 
eight or ten inches wide, and three deep ; the seeds are 
then dropped, and the fine earth drawn over them with 
the hoe as regularly as possible, covering them about three 
inches deep. If some leaf mould from the woods, or old 
decomposed manure, in a fit state for spreading, could be 
had, nnd a covering of it an inch in depth spread on the 
top of the drills, it would prevent the surface from baking 
or cracking, and allow the plants to come up with greater 
strength and regularity. Whatever depth be used of 
such a covering, it should be deducted from the covering 
of common earth. 

Distance to Plant. — When large quantities are raised, 
the drills should be three feet apart, to admit of the culti- 
vator passing between them ; for the ground should be 
kept perfectly clean and mellow around seedlings the 
whole season. 

After Management. — It is of great importance that they 
be not in any way stunted; neither in first coming through 
the soil by a hard surface, nor afterwards by weeds and 
lack of culture; seedlings, stunted during the early stages 
of their growth, never make vigorous, healthy stocks ; and, 
indeed, should never be planted. When they appear 
above the surface, and are too close together, they should, 
as soon as possible, be thinned out to regular distances ; 
for, when grown up in dense masses, they are generally 
feeble and worthless. One hundred good, vigorous stocks 
are worth five hundred poor ones. It is very common to 
see seedlings of one year larger than those of two years, 



126 THE NURSERY. 

under different management ; and, in such a case, the year- 
lings are worth twice as much as the others. A very good 
plan is to thin out all the weakest plants when about four 
or five inches high, leaving only those of vigorous habit 
and large foliage. The prevailing error in growing apple 
seedlings, and, I may add, all seedlings, is that of having 
them too close together — usually three or four times as 
many on the ground as there should be. Give them 
plenty of room, good soil, and clean culture, and you will 
have good stocks. 

The Doucin is a distinct species of apple. The tree is 
of medium size, bears small, sweet fruit, and reproduces 
itself from seed. It is used for stocks for apple trees of 
medium %\zq, pyramids^ or dwarf standards for gardens. 
It is propagated almost exclusively from layers. (See fig. 
63.) The plants to be propagated from are planted in a 
rich, deep, friable soil, nnd cut back to within four to six 
inches of the collar; the buds, on the part below the cut, 
will, during the next season, produce strong shoots ; the 
following spring the earth is drawn up around each plant 
in the form of a mound, so that the whole of the stem and 
the base of all the shoots will be coveied at least three 
inches deep ; during that season, all the shoots will pro- 
duce roots, and should be separated from the mother 
plant, or stool, as such plants are termed, in the fall. If 
left on until spring, the frost would be likely to injure them. 
The stools are then dressed, the soil around them is spaded 
up and enriched with well-decayed manure ; and the fol- 
lowing season another crop of shoots is produced, much 
more numerous than the first, to be treated in the same 
way. Every year these stool plants increase in size and 
in the quantity of their productions, if well treated. 
Another course, but not so good, is frequently pursued 
when stocks are scarce. The shoots are layered by bend- 
ing down, as described in layering, the first season of their 
growth in July, and may be sufiiciently rooted in the fall 



PROPAGATION OF STOCKS. 127 

to be transferred to nursery rows in tlie spring follow- 
ing ; a year is thus saved, but the stocks are, of course, 
much inferior. If earthed up in midsummer, they will be 
partially rooted in the autumn, too, but not so well as if 
bent down ; for the bending has a tendency to stop the 
sap at the point fastened to the ground, and hastens the 
formation of roots. This stock may also be propagated 
from root cuttings. 

The Paradise. — This, also, is a distinct species of apple. 
The tree is of very small size, never attaining over three 
to four feet in height. It is used for stocks for dwarf 
trees or bushes that occupy but a small space in the gar- 
den. It is propagated in precisely the same manner as 
that described for the Doucin. 

2d, Stocks for the Pear. — The pear seedling and the 
quince are the only two stocks on which the pear can be 
advantageously worked to any considerable extent. The 
Mountain Ash and the Thorn are occasionally used for 
special purposes only. 

Pear Seedlings. — The seeds are obtained by collecting 
such fruits ns can be had containing perfect seeds. Nearly 
all the seeds used in this country, of late years, have been 
imported from Europe. Great care should be taken to 
gather the fruits of hardy, healthy, vigorous trees only, 
and the seeds should be full and plump. The seeds are 
se[>arated and washed, as desciibed for apples. They arc 
also saved and planted in a manner similar in all respects ; 
but, in this country, it is a much more difficult matter to 
succeed with pear seedlings than with the apple. This 
difficulty is owing chiefly to a species of fungus, called 
" leaf-blight," that attacks the leaves of the young plants, 
very often before they have completed their first season's 
growth. To obviate the difficulty which this malady pre- 
sents, a vigorous growth should be obtained early in the 
season. New soil, or that in which trees have not be- 
fore been grown, should be selected — an old pasture is the 



128 THE NUKSERY. 

best. The autumn before planting it should be trenched, 
or subsoil- plowed, to the depth of two feet, for the pear 
has long tap roots, and liberally enriched with a compost 
o^ stable manure, leaf mouldy or muck^ and wood-ashes, 
m about equal parts ; four inches deep of this, spread 
over the surface before plowing, will be sufficient for any 
ordinary soil. Lime should also be given liberally, unless 
the soil be naturally and strongly calcareous. A soil pre- 
pared thus in the fall, will require another plowing or 
spading in the spring, to mix all the materials properly 
with the soil, and fit it for the seeds. If the soil be very 
tough, and not fit to be turned up, a thorough harrowing 
or working with the horse-hoe will do. Where large 
quantities are grown, the drills may be the same distance 
apart as that recommended for apples — three feet ; but if 
only a few, twelve to eighteen inches will be sufficient, as 
the cleaning can be done with the hoe. The seeds should 
be scattered thinly, that every plant may have sufficient 
space without any thinning. The end to aim at, as before 
remarked, is to get good growth, say eighteen to twenty 
inches in height, and stout in proportion, before the first 
of August. This can be done in any deeply-trenched or 
plowed fresh soil, well prepared and manured, as described 
above. I have been told that seedling pears, grown in a 
frame, covered with whitewashed sash, and kept well 
ventilated continually, escaped the "leaf-blight," whilst 
all those grown in open ground, near by, were blighted ; 
showing, as far as the experiment goes, that the sun's 
heat has something to do with producing leaf-blight. 
Pear seedlings should always be taken up in the fall, after 
the first season's growth ; the largest selected for trans- 
planting into the nursery, and the smaller to be put into 
beds, to remain another season. 

Quince Stocks are propagated with considerable success 
by cuttings. These should be strong shoots, six inches to 
a foot long, taken off close to the old wood, and, if pos- 



PBOPAGATION OF STOCKS. 129 

sible, with a small portion attached, prepared as directed 
in article on cuttings, early in the winter, and kept in ])its 
two or three feet below the surface of the soil, in a dry- 
place, until planting time, in spring. If practicable, plant 
early in the fall, as soon as the wood is ripe, and cover 
with leaves on setting in of winter, to prevent hard freez- 
ing ; success will be more certain. They should be plant- 
ed in a light, friable, deep soil, in rows eighteen inches to 
two feet apart, four to six inches apart in the low, and so 
deep that but a couple of buds remain above the surface. 
The ground should be kept clean and mellow amongst 
them all summer, and, if the cuttings were stout and long, 
they will, in the autumn, be fit for taking up and prepar- 
ing for planting into nursery rows the following spring. 
The best and surest method of propagating the quince 
stock, however, is by layers. The manner of layering is 
that recommended for the JDoucin and Paradise — by 
earthing up (fig. 65). The stool plants should be set out 
in a fine, rich, deep border of warm, friable soil, and be 
about six feet apart, when designed to be permanent. As 
each stool, by the system recommended, can only yield a 
crop of plants every two years, there should be two sets, 
so that an annual supply may be obtained. These stools, 
in spite of the best treatment, become enfeebled in a few 
years, and successive plantations must be made where 
continual propagation is intended. 

By the ordinary system of bending down the shoots, 
and slitting, or even without the slitting, a crop may be 
obtained every year — that is, the shoots of the current 
season's growth may be layered in July or August ; but 
no such stocks can be obtained as by the earthing up and 
taking a crop every two years. This is the system recom- 
mended to those who want first-rate quince stocTcs. 

The very general lack of information in this country on 
the subject of quince stocks for pears has given rise to a 
great many misapprehensions and erroneous statements in 
6* 



130 ' THE XUKSERY. 

regard to them, both by horticultural writers and others. 
At first it was said that the stocks used by the French, and 
imported by nurserymen here, were the Portugal. Again, 
it was discovered they were nothing more than the com- 
mon apple quince ; consequently, a multitude of the apple 
quinces have been worked, and sent out as " dwarf pears ^"^ 
The slow and feeble growth of this variety unfits it entirely 
for a stock for the pear, and only a very few varieties will 
form a union with it that will last over three or four years. 
Such trees cannot fail to give general dissatisfaction, and, 
among people who know no better, create a prejudice 
against quince stocks in general Indeed, this is the cause 
why so much has been said about the pears on quince 
being so short-lived. 

The truth is, that the varieties used in France are nei- 
ther the Apple nor the Portugal Quince, but vigorous 
varieties that have been originated there, and found to 
answer tliis purpose particularly well. The great requisite 
of a quince stock for the pear is ^free, vigorous^ and rapid 
growth. A variety originated at the town of Angers, in 
France, and extensively used, propagated, and sold there 
as the Angers Quince, has proved to be an excellent stock. 
It is a very rapid, vigorous grower, making strong shoots 
three feet long, in one season. It has large foliage, resem- 
bling the Portugal. In some parts of France, as in Nor- 
mandy, it is known as the broadrleaved. There is another 
variety, with smaller leaves, but of free, vigorous growth, 
too, almost exclusively cultivated in some districts. Sev- 
eral extensive nurserymen at Orleans, Paris, and elsewhere, 
consider it superior to the broad-leaved, and especially for 
very vigorous growing sorts. It is known as the Paris 
or Fontenay Quince. 

We have tried both extensively, and find but very little 
difference, thus far, in the results obtained. In the first 
edition of this work, I alluded to an upriglit growing 
variety which then promised to be valuable, but has since 



PROP AG ATI ox OF STOCKS. 131 

pioveJ to be too feeble in its growth to be used advan- 
tag<M)usly for a stock for fruit trees, so it is abandoned. 

The Mountain Ash, it is said, makes a good stock for 
certain varieties in very light, sandy soils, when neither 
the pear nor quince succeeds well. It* is propagated from 
seed, and requires to be two years old before being 
worked. 

The Thorn. — Seedlings of our vigorous, native thorns 
make good stocks when about three years old ; the seeds 
require to be in the rot-heap one year before sowing. The 
only cases in which it can be recommended are those in 
which a soil may be so wet and cold as to be unfit for the 
pear or quince ; but it is better to improve such soils by 
draining, subsoil plowing, and by the addition of suitable 
composts ; for even the thorn will fail in giving satisfac- 
tion on a stiff, cold soil. I cannot recommend either the 
Thorn Or Mountain Ash as a stock for the pear, except as 
a matter of fancy or experiment. 

od. Stocks for the Cherry. — The principal stocks used 
for the cherry are the Mazzard, for standard orchard trees, 
and the Mahaleb, for garden pyramids and dwarfs. 

Mazzard Seedlings. — The Mazzard cherry is a lofty, 
rapid-growing, pyramidal-headed tree. Its fruit is small, 
dark brown or black, with a sprightly flavor, and slight 
bitterness. It is the original type of all the heart 
varieties. 

The Mahaleb (Cerasus Mahaleb) is a small tree, with 
glossy, deep-green foliage. The fruit is black, about the 
size of a marrowfat pea, and quite bitter. It blossoms and 
bears fruit when about three years old. It is consider- 
ably cultivated in many parts of Europe as an orna- 
mental lawn tree. There are few bearing trees in this 
country yet ; consequently, a large proportion of the stocks 
are imported, or grown from imported seeds. 

The seeds are prepared, saved, sown, and managed, in 
all respects, similar to the Mazzards, and are fit for trans- 



132 THE NURSERY. 

ferring to the nursery rows at the end of the first season's 
growth. 

The common Red Pie cherry^ and the Small Morello^ 
make very good stocks for dwarf trees of the Duke and 
Morello classes ; but the Hearts and Bigarreaus do not 
take well on them. These are raised from seed in the 
same way as the Mazzards and Mabalebs. I observe that 
Western fruit growers are now recommending this stock 
in preference to all others for that climate, on account of 
its hardiness. I do not tliink, however, that it will be 
used as a stock to any great extent. 

Preparing and Saving the Seeds. — The fruit ie allowed 
to remain on the tree until thoroughly ripe. It is then 
shaken or picked off, and put into tubs, where the pulp is 
washed off until the stones are perfectly clean. They 
are then sj^read out on boards, and turned over occasion- 
ally until dry, Avhen they are put away in boxes, mixed 
with sand very slightly moist. A layer of sand is spread 
in the bottom of the box, then a thin layer of the stones ; 
next a layer of sand, and so on until the box is full. The 
boxes are secured against vermin, and put away in a cool, 
dry place, until needed for planting. If not planted in 
the fall, they may be wintered in a cellar, or out of doors, 
protected from rain by boards or other covering. 

When to Plant. — If circumstances were favorable, all 
seeds would be better planted in the fall, or immediately 
after their maturity. N'ature, in her course, indicates 
this to be a general law ; but in cultivation, this must de- 
pend on circumstances. The ground may not be in readi- 
ness. It may be so wet and heavy, that seeds would be 
so saturated with moisture during the winter as to lose 
their vitality, or the ground might become so beaten 
down and compact with fall, winter, and early spring 
rains, as to make it almost impossible for the young plants 
to make their way through it. All these things are to be 
considered in deciding the proper time to sow seeds. If 



PROPAGATION OF STOCKS. 133 

the soil be very light and porous, cherry seeds may be 
sown as soon ns gathered ; if the contr.iry, it should be 
deferred until spring ; but they germinate early, and at a 
low temperature, so that it is necessary to keep them 
pretty dry and cool, and get them into the ground at the 
earliest practicable moment. We find it quite difficult to 
keep them pi-operly, and yet prevent them from germi- 
nating before the ground is dry enough to receive them. 

How to PI int. — For cherry seeds the ground should be 
light., in a good, fertile state, but not strongly manured. 
The seeds are sown in drills, as recommended for apple 
and pear seeds ; and so thin as to give each "plant space to 
grow in, without being crowded by others. In this way, 
and Avith clean summer culture, the stocks will all be 
large enough, at the end of the first season's growth, to be 
taken up and prepared for planting in nursery rows the 
following spring. 

4th. Stocks for the Peach. — As a general thing, the 
peach is worked on its own stocks in this country. The 
stones should be stratified during the winter, by being 
placed in boxes, with alternate layers of sand, or light 
earth, and be kept in a situation exposed to the frost ; 
unless this is done, they will not germinate the following 
spring ; they require more moisture and exposure to open 
their hard shells, and induce germination, than any other 
fruit seeds. They should be examined a week or two 
before planting time, and if they exhibit no signs of vege- 
tation, more moisture should be given them; if they have 
been kept dry for a month or two before being stratified, 
they may require to be cracked. Nurserymen have an 
instrument for this purpose, resembling nut-crackers, 
which operates with great rapidity. When cracked, 
they may be mixed with moist earth, and germinated in 
a warm place. The growth of every one so germinated 
can be depended on, and the rows will be regular. As 
the seeds are planted where the trees remain until trans- 



134 THE NUKSEEY, 

ferred to the garden or orchard, it is a very good plan to 
nip off the point of the young root protruded from the 
seed ; this makes it ramify, so that, when taken up, the 
trees have fine branched and fibrous roots, instead of 
long tap-roots, as is very generally the case. 

Planting. — The seeds should be put in the ground as 
soon in the spring as it is in a fit state to be worked, or as 
soon thereafter as possible. A line is stretched, and holes 
made with a dibble to receive the seed ; it should be put 
in with the root downwards, and be covered not over one- 
fourth of an inch deep. 

Plum Stocks are used for the peach in soils of a stiff, 
adhesive character, in which the peach does not succeed. 
In England, the peach is worked almost exclusively on 
the plum, as it suits their moist climate and soil better. 
In France, the hard-shell almond is used almost exclusively 
on dry^ and the plum on damp soils. Almond stocks are 
raised in the same way as the peach. 

Pwarf Peach-Trees are produced by working on the 
same stocks recommended for dwarfing the plum. Some 
time ago, a French journal gave a very interesting account 
of experiments made in dwarfing the peach and plum, by 
a Dr. Bretonneau, of Tours, Franco. He had succeeded 
in producing very pretty dwarf plum and peach-trees on 
a dwarf plum, indigenous to this country {Pruniis pumila). 
He exhibited beautiful prolific dwarf trees of the Green 
Gage plum on the sloo, and was making farther experi- 
ments with the dwarf almond as a stock for peaches. 

These subjects are all worthy the attention of those who 
have the leisure for experiments. The art of growing a 
large collection of fruits on a small spot of ground, is of 
great importance to curious and tasteful people living in 
towns and villages. 

Stocks for the Apricot and Nectarine. — Everything 
that has been said of peach stocks applies, with equal 
force and propriety, to these two trees. 



PROPAGATIOX OF STOCKS. 135 

5th. Stocks for the Plum. — It is difficult, in this country, 
to i::et good plum stocks. If seeds be taken promiscu- 
ously from any variety that is to bi3 had, as is done with 
most other trees, the probability is that, of the seedlings, 
not one in 500 will be suitable for a stock. I have seen 
bushels of seeds planted that were said to have been col- 
lected from strong growing trees ; but out of the tens of 
thousands of seedlings produced from them, not 100 were 
ever worked, or fit to be. It is not only necessary to ob- 
tain seeds from vigorous-growing, healthy trees, but from 
a species or variety that reproduces itself from seed. 

The Horse Plum^ an oval, piu-ple, freestone sort, with 
vigorous downy shoots, reproduces itself from seed, and 
makes good stocks. On a suitable, well-prepared soil, its 
seedlings often attain two feet or more in height in one 
season, and are then fit for the nursery rows. They re- 
quire a i-ich, substantial soil, j^repared as recommended 
for pear seeds. Other vigorous sorts have been recom- 
mended in various ])arts of the country, but, on trial, 
they have been found quite inferior to the horse plum, 
and, as a general thing, worthless. The " black-knot," a 
fungus which infests the plum, is now so prcA'-alent in this 
country, that we regard it as unsafe to take seeds pro- 
miscuously gatliered ; hence we now import our plum 
stocks from Europe, where this disease does not exist. It 
is doubtful, however, whether the seed will inherit the 
disease, but it is well to be on the safe side. 

Tlie Ccmada.^ or Wild Plum., which abounds in Ohio, 
Michigan, and other Western States, is a distinct species, 
and reproduces itself from seed. Some of the seed- 
lings grow extremely rapid, making fine stocks, in one 
year, on any good soil. They continue in a thrifty, grow- 
ing state until late in the autumn ; but they should not 
be worked above the ground in the usual way, as their 
growth does not keep pace with the species to which most 
of our cultivated sorts belong. The best way to manage 



136 THE ISruRSERY. 

them is to take the yearling seedlings^ whip-graft them 
on the collar, and set ihem out at once in the nursery 
rows ; they will make good trees for planting out in three 
years. The stock is all below the surface of the ground, 
and, in time, the graft sends out roots, and becomes, in n, 
great measure, independent of the stock. Where the 
seedlings are not large enough for grafting the first sea- 
son, they may be set out in the nursery, and allowed to 
grow one season, and then the earth can be removed from 
the collar until the graft is inserted, and then drawn up. 
This we find, by later experience, the better method, and 
practice it exclusively. To procure strong stocks for 
standard trees, of weak-growing sorts, like the Green 
Gage^ such thrifty varieties as the Imperial Gage and 
Smith's Orleans may be grafted on this native species, 
and in two or three years they will make stocks strong 
enough for any purpose. The French use several natural 
species that are produced from seed — the St. JulieT}.^ 
large and small (Brussels of the English), and the Damas 
noir^ large and small. The first is generally used for 
stocks for apricots and peaches as well as plums. We 
find none of these superior in vigor to the horse plum, 
but they are worked more successfully. In England, the 
Brussels, Brompton, and Muscle stocks are used, propa- 
gated from both seeds and layers. For small-sized gar- 
den trees, either dwarf standards or pyramids, the cherry 
plum, " Myrobolan " of the French catalogues, makes a 
very good stock. 

It is a natural species, and can, therefore, be produced 
true from seed. It maintains a vigorous growth all sum- 
mer, and may be worked in July, August, or September. 
It may also be propagated from layers. 

The Sloe is also used to some extent where very small 
trees are wanted ; and we have no doubt some native spe- 
cies, as, for instance, the Beach and Chickasaw plums, which 
are small trees, will make good dwarf stocks. Handsome 



TKANSPLANTING STOCKS. 137 

sm?ill-sized garden trees may be raised on tbe smaller 
kinds of the Canada Plum. The first year's growth, and 
even the second, is quite vigorous on them; but after 
that the vigor diminishes, and the trees become quite 
prolific. This and the Cherry Plum are principal stocks 
for dwarfing. 

Plums for seeds should ripen well on the tree ; they are 
then gathered, the pulp washed ofi*, and the seeds dried 
and put away in boxes of sand, in alternate layers, as 
recommended for cherries. They may be sowed in fall or 
spring, as circumstances, already mentioned, will admit. 

Nearly all plums used for stocks may be propagated by 
layers. Mother plants, or stools, are planted out and cut 
back as recommended for Paradise, etc.; the shoots of the 
previous season's growth are pegged down flat in the 
spring, and two inches of earth drawn over them. Every 
bud on these layers will produce a shoot that, generally, 
will be well enough rooted in the fall to be separated from 
the stool, and planted out into nursery rows the following 
spring. These layered shoots are cut ofi" close to the old 
plant, and the upright shoots produced during the pre- 
vious season may be again pegged down. 

The stools, or mother plants, managed in this way, re- 
quire the best treatment to maintain their vigor, that a 
supply of strong shoots may be produced every season fit 
to lay down in the spring. Weak, slender shoots, unfit 
to layer, should be cut out early in the season, to aid tlio 
growth of those intended for use. 

Sectioit 3. — Traxsplai!«^ting Stocks. 

This comprehends three separate operations — taking 
yp^ dressing or pruning^ and replanting ; but before 
touching on the details of these operations, it may be well 
to consider 

1st. The age at which Stocks should be transplanted. — 
On this point there seems to be a diversity of opinion. 



138 THE NURSERY. 

The very general one is, that they should remain where 
they have been propagated until they are large enough to 
be worked ; a great many plans are, therefore, suggested 
for wintering seedlings, and especially the pear. The ex- 
perience of the best cultivators everywhere is, that seed- 
ling stocks in general should be transplanted when one 
year old. It may be urged against this that some seed- 
lings are so small when one year old, as not to be worth 
transplanting ; so feeble, that more care and culture would 
be required, before they could be worked, than they are 
worth. In reply, it can only be said that such feeble pro- 
ductions are only fit to be thrown away; because the seeds 
must have been defective, or the soil and culture bad ; 
and stocks raised from poor seeds, or stunted by bad soil 
and culture, will never make sound, healtliy, vigorous, nor 
long-lived trees. There may be some exceptions to this, 
but the rule will generally liold good. 

When seedlings remain longer than one year in the seed- 
bed, they grow up slender and weak ; one more vigorous 
than its neighbors will ruin all around it. Then the roots 
do not ramify, but continue to lengthen, without forming 
laterals or fibres ; and when removed, and reduced to the 
necessary dimensions, tliey receive a severe check; but at 
one year the check is very light; they at once form lateral 
roots, and instead of being drawn up tall and slender, they 
become stout and well-proportioned. The best pear-grow- 
ers in Europe, and even in this country, would scarcely 
take, as a gift, two-year seedling pears from the seed-bed, 
unless ill case of absohite necessity. 

The proper plan is to take up all seedlhig stocks^ and all 
layers sufficiently rooted to bear separation from the stool, 
and all cuttings that stand close, at one year old^ and sort 
and arrange into separate classes, in this way : in one class 
put the strongest, those fit for immediate use, either to be 
grafted on the root, or set in nursery rows, and be budded 
the summer following ; in another class, put such as may 



TRANSPLANTI25-G STOCKS. 139 

require to stand one year in the nursery rows, to be fit for 
working ; and in the third class, such as are too weak to be 
put in the nursery rows, but will require to be " bedded 
out;" that is, set closely in beds by themselves, where they 
can remain for one or two years, until they are large and 
strong enough for root grafting or for the nursery rows. 
Unless in the case of stocks scarce and difficult to procure, 
this third class had better be thrown away at once ; as it 
will cost as much to nurse them as to raise fine stocks 
from the seed. 

2d. Tbm to take up. — There is but one proper time to 
take up all seedlings and rooted layers for stocks, and that 
is the fall ; and for several reasons. The first is^ they 
are all liable to injury by the frosts of winter ; seedlings 
. have no side roots to hold them in the ground, and layers 
are near the surface, so tliat the freezino: and thawing 
draw them up ; the roots are thus exposed, and seriously 
injured. The second is, they can be dressed during the 
winter in the cellar, and be ready for planting in the spring. 
When taken up, they can be laid closely in by the roots 
in the soil, in a dry place, and covered over so as to 
exclude frost. When out-door Avork is over, they can be 
uncovered, taken into the cellar and dressed, and care- 
fully laid in again by the roots, in the same place, which 
should, of course, in the mean time, be protected from 
frost. The third reason is, that when seedlings are taken 
up in the fall, the ground can be prepared for another 
crop ; and this is of considerable importance. In the 
case of layers, the stools or mother })lants can be manured, 
dressed, and put in order for another season's growth; 
and this, also, is important. Such are some of the ad- 
vantages, or, in f ict, the necessities of taking up stocks in 
the fall. In the case of the quince, however, it frequently 
occurs that, when the layers have been removed in the 
fall, a severe winter kills the stool plants, unless well pro- 
tected with a coverino: of earth. 



140 THE ]SnJESERT. 

Sd. liow to take up. — Seedlings are very easily taken 
up, in two ways, without in the least mutilating the 
roots. If one person does the work, he should begin at 
one end of the row, and, with a common spade, or, which 
is better, one with three strong prongs, a foot long and 
an inch and a half Avide, dig under the plants without 
cutting the roots, and, as fast as they are loosened below, 
pull them out ; and in this way proceed. Another and 
quicker way is, for two men to loosen the plants, each on 
opposite sides of the row, inserting a forked spade as 
deep as the roots go, while another follows and pulls 
out the plants. When the ground is quite soft, this way 
answers very well ; but if dry, or hard, the first is better. 

In nurseries where very large quantities of seedlings 
are to be taken up at once, a '* Tree-digger " (see Imple- 
ments), drawn by horses, is used. The "digger" passes 
under the row at a depth sufiicient to avoid injury to the 
roots, and loosens them so that they can be readily pulled, 
either the whole, or a part. 

Layers require more care and caution. A trench must 
be opened all around the layered branches, deep enough 
to go quite below the roots, and in an oblique manner, so 
as to undermine them. Where the branches are pegged 
down, the pegs must be taken out, and the layer is then 
separated between the rooted part and the stool, and 
gently taken from the earth. Especial care must bo taken 
not to split those that have been layered by incision ; 
their removal must be done slowly and cautiously. 

Mound Layers are easier separated ; the earth is simply 
removed from the base of the rooted branches, and they 
are then separated within an inch or so of the stem. 

Layered Branches. — When the young rooted plants arc 
produced from the eyes of a buried shoot or branch, the 
pegs are removed, the whole branch dug under, and com- 
pletely loosened and separated from the stool ; the young 
jdants are then taken off, one by one, close to their base. 



TRANSPLANTING STOCKS. 



141 



4th. Pruning^ or Dressing Stocks. — The objects always 
in view, in performing this operation, are — to remove in- 
jured or broken roots ; to reduce the tap-root, that it may- 
produce laterals ; 
to reduce the 
stems to a proper 
proportion with 
the roots, and put 
them in a condi- 
tion that will in- 
sure a vigorous 
growth. 

Seedlings^ taken 
from the seed-bed, 
have always a 
long tap-root, with 
few or no laterals ; 
and as trees with 
such roots are un- 
fit for safe trans- 
23lantation, it is 
necessary to take 
measures to 
change their char- 
acter. We there- 
fore remove the 
small tapering 
portion of the 
root, as at fig. 86, 

FiS. 88, a seedling stock, one j'-ears growth, as it -^j ^Ti(x tniS in- 
line at A shows the gures the produc- 
tion of lateral or 




rigs. 86 and 87. — seedling stocks and 

CUTTINGS, 



comes from the seed-bed ; the 

shortening of the tap-root ; that at J3, the shortening 
of the stem before replanting. Fig, 8T, a quince cut- 
ting; the cross lines on the stem and roots indicate spreading rcots, 
tiie pruning before replanting. ^^_ ^^^ SUrface 



near 



of the ground. The pear roots, especially, are inclined 
more to descend in a straight line than to spread ; and 



112 THE NURSERY. 

unless they arc M'ell cut back when young, tbey are 
always difficult to transplant safely afterwards. Roots 
that descend like the prongs of a foi-k are usually desti- 
tute of fibres, wiiilst those that spread out horizontally, 
or near the surface, are well furnished with fibres, that 
not only make trees easily transplanted, but inclined 
to early fruitfulness. This operation on the roots, it is 
obvious, destroys the natural balance or proportion that 
existed between them and the tops. Hence the 
necessity for shortening the stem in a corresponding 
manner. But even if the roots were not shortened, 
the stems should be, in order to obtain a vigorous 
growth. The very removal of the plant lessens the jDOwer 
of the roots to absorb and convey nutriment ; and on this 
account, if no other, the stem should be reduced by way 
of regulating the supply and demand. We sometimes 
see yonng stocks planted out without any shortening of 
the stem; and the result is, they scarcely make any growth 
the first season — the roots are barely able to absorb 
enough to keep them alive. If one-half the stem had 
been cut away, the remaining buds would have received 
such a supply of food as would have produced a vigorous 
growtli. It is a pretty good rule, therefore, to reduce the 
stems of seedlings one-third to one-half, as at B G, fig. 
86. But there are exceptions to this. For instance, a 
stock with a very large and strong root, and a short, 
stout, close-jointed stem, well matured, and furnished with 
plump, prominent buds, requires very little, if any, short- 
ening of the stem ; and again, others are just the reverse 
— tall, slender, and feeble, having been sufibcated in the 
seed-bed. Such as these require to be shortened more 
than half, perhaps two-thirds. 

Layers, or Cuttings (fig. 87), are in a different situation 
from seedlings, and require, therefore, different treatment. 
They have no tap-roots, but masses of fibres ; and these 
fibres, being more or less injured by exposure, should be 



TRANSPLANTK^^G STOCKS. 143 

cut off, to make way for new ones. The shortening of 
the stems depends entirely on the size and condition of 
the roots. If well rooted, and the roots be in good con- 
dition, they may be left a foot long ; if poorly rooted, 
they should be cut back to six or eight inches. This ap- 
plies equally to the layers of the quince^ Paradise^ Doucin^ 
plums^ etc. 

5th. Planting stocks in the nursery rows where they 
are to he budded. — The first consideration which this 
operation suggests is the condition of the soil. Under 
the head of soils, sufficient has been said respecting the 
modes of deepening^ draining^ and enriching ; and it is 
only necessary to say here that, where stocks are planted, 
the soil should be at once deep^ dry^ and rich ; for no 
such thing as sound, vigorous fruit-trees can be raised on 
a poor, shallow, or wet soil. The various means of im- 
provement have been already pointed out and explained. 
It may, however, be well to remark that ground may bo 
too rich., and induce a rank, watery growth, that would 
either result in death at the final transplanting into the 
garden or orchard, or in a very feeble and sickly growth 
after it. We see frequent illustrations of this in the case 
of trees raised in old, worn-out nurseries, where rapid 
growth has been forced by powerfully-stimulating ma- 
nures, and in rich alluvial prairie soils and river bottoms. 
These rank, pithy, soft productions, are very attractive 
to tne eye ; but they sufier so much by removal, no mat- 
ter how well treated, that they seldom fail to disappoint 
the planter. Manures used should be well decomposed, 
and incorporated with the soil, if possible, the autumn 
before planting. A tree is not like a cabbage or lettuce. 
The tenderness and succulency of these constitute their 
great merit ; but the wood of a tree must be firm., 
short-jointed., and mature; and these requisites are al- 
ways attained by a moderate and natural, not a forced^ 
growth. 



144 THE IS^URSEEY. 

Planting each species in the soil best adapted to it. — 
Where there are different characters of soils in a nursery, 
to be planted with a general assortment of stocks, it is 
important to give to each that which is best adapted to 
its nature ; thus the pear, apple, and plum should have 
the riclier, deeper, and more compact, or that with most 
clay. The plum, in particular, succeeds well on a pretty 
stiff clay. The cherry and peach should have the lightest 
and warmest. The quince^ the Paradise^ and Doiicin do 
not require such a deep soil as the pear and the common 
apple seedlings, because their roots are fibrous, and always 
remain near the surface ; but it must not be inferred from 
this that a shallow soil suits these best. 

6th. When to Plant. — In parts of the country where 
the winter is long and severe, or where freezing and thaw- 
ing are frequent, fall planting cannot be successful ; as the 
plants, having no hold of the ground, are drawn out and 
injured; and besides, if the ground is somewhat clayey 
and tenacious, the heavy rains that occur early in the 
spring will make it so compact that air will not ];)enetrate 
it, and the young roots will form slowly and feebly. 
When neither of these difficulties is to be feared, fall 
planting is decidedly preferable. Spring planting should 
be done at the earliest moment the condition of the ground 
will admit; which is, when dry enough to crumble into 
fine particles when turned over with the spado. 

7th. Distance to Plant. — We are all in the habit of plant- 
ing quite too closely in the nursery ; the consequence is 
that the trees are not well proportioned. Frequently, the 
standards are as large at six feet from the ground, as at 
the collar ; weak, and top-heavy, so that sticks have to be 
used to support them, even when four years old. Pyram- 
idal trees are out of the question where such close plant- 
ing is practised — the growth is always forced to the top. 
Nature gives us numerous and striking illustrations of the 
effect of close planting. We see, in a natural group or 



TRANSPLANTING STOCKS. 145 

thicket, trees running up forty or fifty feet, of an equal di- 
ameter, and without a branch ; and if one such tree were 
left exposed, by the remoyal of those around it, the first, 
high wind would blow it down. On the outskirts of this 
group or thicket, or perhaps completely isolated, in the 
center of a field, we see another tree of the same species 
branched almost from the ground, with a diameter at 
the base twice as great as at half its height, and tapering 
upward with beautiful regularity, capable of resisting 
a hurricane. To raise stout, well-proportioned trees, we 
must give them plenty of room, that they may have the 
advantage of air all around^ and not at the top only. 

There is scarcely a nursery to be found in which the 
trees are not grown too close — three or four on the space 
that one should occupy. There is, to be sure, great econo- 
my in close planting ; for five hundred trees can be grown 
on the space that one hundred should occupy, and with 
nearly as little labor ; but it would really be better for 
people to pay twice or three times as much for their trees, 
if grown so far apart that the air and light would have 
free access to them in all parts, and give them stout, well- 
proportioned forms. A reform in this respect is much 
needed ; but it cannot be expected until purchasers be- 
come discriminating and intelligent on the subject. 

The distance at which stocks should be planted in the 
nursery rows is governed entirely by circumstances. If 
it is intended to use a cultivator between the rows, they 
should not be less than three and a half feet apart. If 
spade and hoe culture be intended, two and a half to 
three feet will be sufiicient. Where the trees are to be 
removed at the age of one year, one foot apart in the rows 
is sufiicient ; but if they are to remain until two, three, or - 
four years, they should be eighteen inches to two feet. If 
removed at two years, eighteen inches is enough ; but 
where standards remain three or four years, until they 
have heads formed, and pyramids remain until they have 
7 



146 TME NUBSERY. 

formed two or three tiers of lateral branches, two feet, or 
two and a half, is little enough. Indeed, when pyramids 
remain for three years, there should be a clear space — 
three feet — on all sides. The usual nursery practice is, 
rows three and a half feet apart; trees in rows, one to 
one and a half feet aj^art. 

Dtcarf standards require less space than full stand- 
ards, and dwarf bushes still less. The stocks intended 
for these different classes of trees should be planted sepa- 
rately. In sorting the stocks, at the time of dressing, tho 
larger should be used for full standards, and the smaller 
for low or dwarf standards. 

8th. Mode of Flatting. — The square or plot of ground 
for each class of stocks being ready, a line is stretched 
along one side, and a trench opened with the spade, deep 
and wide enough to hold the roots ; the plant is then held 
against the side of the trench, next the line, by one man, 
whilst the earth is filled in by another ; when about half 
the earth is in, it is trodden down pretty firmly by the 
foot, and the remainder filled in. As buds are usually 
inserted on the north side of the stocks, they should in- 
cline, if at all, slightly to the south. Good pulverized 
surface soil should always be put upon the roots, to induce 
the immediate formation of young fibres. During the 
planting, the roots must be carefully guarded from ex- 
posure. A few only should be taken out of the ground 
at a time. When there are bat few fibrous roots, pud- 
dling in thin mud is useful, otherwise not. Some nursery- 
men open the trenches with a plow instead of the spade ; 
and some plant all kinds of stock with the dibble. We 
do not practise either. 

Planting Root Grafts. — The quickest mode of plant- 
ing small root grafts is to stretch a line along the ground 
to be planted, and, with a dibble, make the holes, and 
press the earth in around the plants. This dibble should 
be twelve to eighteen inches long, about two inches in 




BUDDING, GRAFTIIfG, ETC. 147 

diameter, pointed and shod with iron. Fig. 88 represents 
one made of the handle of a spade. Figure 89 shows a 
dibble, such as is sold by the dealers in implements. It 
is made from a stick, with a natural curve at one end, to 
conveniently fit the hand, and is furnished 
at the other end with an iron point. One 
person will plant as many in this way 
as four could by opening trenches with 
spades. But where the plants are dib- 
bled in, the ground must be in the best 
condition — perfectly dry, and finely pul- 
verized. 

Treatment of Stocks after Planting. — Fig. 88. 
The principal care which stocks require "^^^^^ 
between the time they are planted and root- Fig. 89.— 
the time they are budded is to keep the ^^^^^^- i^i^ble. 
ground about them clear of weeds, and in a friable, 
porous condition on the surface, by frequent stirring. A 
good rule is to run the cultivator or horse-lioe through 
them once a week. The success of budding depends, in a 
great measure, on the condition of the stocks. They 
must be in a thrifty, growing state, and this can only be 
obtained with good treatment. Having now considered, 
in as much detail as seems necessary, the pro23agation and 
transplanting of stocks into the nursery rows, we proceed 
with 

Section 4. — The Budding, Grafting, and Manage- 
ment OF Trees in the ISTursery, 

The simplest and clearest method of treating this part 
of the subject, seems to be that of considering, separate- 
ly, each year's operations in succession. 

The First Year. — Strong yearling seedlings of the 
apple^ pear^ cherry^ and plum,^ say one-fourth of an inch 
and upwards in diameter, and well-rooted layers of the 



148 THE NURSEEY. 

qumce^ Paradise, and Doucin, of the same size, planted 
in the spring, in a good soil, and kept under good, clean 
culture, will, as a general thing, be in a fit state for bud- 
ding in July, August, or September, following. The 
budding may, therefore, be considered as the first season's 
work. The details of this operation may be divided for 
consideration as follows : 

1st. Time for Budding. 2d. Preparation of the 
Stocks. 3d. Insertion of the Puds. 4th. Untying. 

1st. The time for budding each species or class of fruits 
depends upon its habits of growth. Such as cease to 
grow early in the season, must be budded early, as soon 
as mature buds can be had; because it can only be done 
while the stocks are in a free, growing state, full of sap. 
Such as grow until late in the autumn, must be budded 
late, otherwise the new layers of wood, formed after the 
insertion of the bud, would grow over and destroy it, or 
the bud would be forced into a premature growth towards 
autumn, which, in fruit-trees, should always be avoided. 
The common sorts of plum terminate their growth early 
in the season, and are therefore budded early, whether 
with plums, peaches, or apricots; at Rochester, usually 
about the last of July, or beginning of August. The na- 
tive or Canada plum, and the Cherry plum [Myrohalan), 
grow freely until late in the fall, and may be budded in 
the latter end of August or beginning of September. 
Pears on pear stocks are usually budded here in July, in 
anticipation of the leaf-blight, which stops their growth 
when it attacks them. Where no such thing as this is ap- 
prehended, they should not be budded before the middle 
of August, as the buds are not generally mature until that 
time. Apples on free stocks, and on the Paradise and 
Doucin, may be budded as soon as the buds are mature, 
which is usually, here, about the first to the middle of Au- 
gust. Cherries on free Mazzard stocks, as soon as buds 
are ripe ; here, about the first of August. Pea,rs on quince, 



BUDDING, GRA.FTIXG, ETC. 149 

and Cherries on Mahaleh, about the first of September, 
and from that to the middle of the month ; as the quince 
and Mahaleb grow late, especially the latter. Peach 
stocks should always be budded the same season the 
seeds are planted, and, as they grow rapidly, until very 
late, are not usually budded until between the first and 
middle of September. The budding period varies in dif- 
ferent seasons. In a dry, warm season, the young wood 
matures earlier, and stocks cease to grow sooner, and are, 
therefore, budded earlier than in a cool, moist season, that 
prolongs the growth of the stocks and retards the ma- 
turity of the buds. Stocks growing feebly, require to be 
budded earlier than those growing freely. It is necessary 
to keep an eye to all these points. 

The destruction of insects must be strictly attended to. 
An army of slugs may devour the foliage of the pear 
and cherry, and even the plum, in a day or two, and pre- 
vent their being worked that season. The aphis^ too, fre- 
quently appears in such multitudes as to check growth. 
Dry lime or ashes thrown on the slugs, will kill them ; 
and strong soap-suds, or tobacco water so strong as to 
assume the color of strong beer, will kill the aphis. 

2d. Preparation of the Stocks. — This consists in re- 
moving such lateral shoots from the stock as may be 
likely to obstruct the insertion of the bud. Our practice 
is to do this at the moment of budding, one person doing 
the work in advance of the budders. If done a few days 
previous, and several shoots are removed, it checks the 
growth of the stocks, and they do not work so well. It 
might answer very well to do it two or three weeks pre- 
vious, so that they might recover from the check before 
being budded. 

3d. Insertion of the Bud. — ^Having treated so fully of 
the manner of preparing and inserting the buds in the 
article on budding, nothing farther need be said on these 
points here. 



150 THE NURSERY. 

Tn free stocks, the bud should be inserted within three 
or four inches of the ground. 

In some parts of the West — Wisconsin, Illinois — and 
some other places, certain rapid, late-growing, and rather 
tender varieties are liable to be winter-killed if budded 
close to the ground ; probably by the sudden thawing of 
that part, caused by the reflection of heat from the ground. 
In view of such a difficulty, it may be well enough to bud 
sufficiently high to avoid this, provided a stock known to 
be perfectly hardy can be obtained ; but, as a general thing, 
low budding makes the best trees. All dwarf stocks 
should be budded as close to the surface of the ground 
as it is possible; and even some of the earth may be re- 
moved and put back when the budding is done. The 
necessity for this lies in the fact that all dwarf stocks 
should be wholly below the ground when finally planted 
out in the garden or orchard. 

4th. TTntying the Buds. — In ten days or a fortnight 
after the buds are inserted, they should be examined, and 
such as have failed may be budded agiun if the stocks 
continue to grow. In some cases, it may be necessary, 
and particularly with cherries, to loosen the buds and tie 
them over again ; as rapid growth will cause the string to 
cut the bark before the bud has completely united, or is 
fit to be untied. This seldom occurs, however ; as a gen- 
eral thing, the strings may be removed in three weeks to 
a month after the budding ; and they should never be 
left on over the winter, as moisture lodges around them, 
to the detriment of the bud. As soon as the budding is 
done, the ground should be worked over with the culti- 
vator or forked spade. The first season's management 
of stocks too small for budding consists simply in keep- 
ing the soil clean and mellow, and in guarding against 
the attacks of insects. 

The treatment of root grafts the first season consists in 
clearing and loosening the ground, the removal of suckers 



BUDDING, GRAFTING, ETC. 151 

from the roots as fast as they appear, and pinching early 
any strong side shoots likely to weaken the leader. 

Second Year. — Where the buds failed the previous 
season, the stocks should now be whip-grafted near the 
surf ice of the ground. They will be but little behind the 
buds, and will make nearly as good trees, if neatly done. 
Plums and cherries must be done before, or as soon as the 
buds begin to swell (say in March, here) ; pears and ap- 
ples may be done later. The second-sized stocks^ planted 
last season, and intended to be budded this, should, if in a 
feebly growing or stunted condition, be cut back to within 
two or three inches of the surface of the ground. This 
will give the roots new vigor, and thrifty shoots will be 
made, by budding time, that will work more easily and 
successfully than the old stock. In a month or so after 
being cut down, all the shoots but the strongest one 
should be removed. The stocks budded last season .are 
headed down to within three or four inches of the bud, 
just as the leaves are beginning to appear ; and all buds 
starting into growth on the stock, either below or above 
them, are rubbed off. 

Treatment of the growing hud consists in keeping all 
shoots that appear on the stock rubbed off. If side shoots 
appear early, and are likely to contract the growth of the 
leader, they should be pinched off. Any that assume a 
reclining or crooked habit should be tied up to the stock, 
or to a support, which may be a wooden pole, four feet 
long, sunk a foot in the ground, at the root of the stock ; 
both the stock and growing shoot should be fastened to 
it (fig. 90), but not so close as to impede the growth. 
This is only necessary with certain weak, irregular grow- 
ing sorts. In August, the portion of the stock left above 
the bud, at the heading down in the spring, should be re- 
moved with a sloping cut, close and smooth, as at A (fig. 
90), at the highest point of union between the bud and 
stock. The new layers of wood made after this time 



152 



THE NUKSEKY. 



cover the wound before growth ceases in the fall. Side 
shoots, when they appear, must be checked, if too vigor- 
ous, by pinching off their ends, but not entirely removed, 
as they assist in giving size and strength to the lower 
part of the body of the young tree. The peach almost 
invariably produces numerous side branches 
the first season, and it is a very common but 
very erroneous practice to prune these all 
off in midsummer. The proper course is to 
maintain a uniform vigor amongst them by 
pinching, and to prevent any from encroach- 
ing on the leading shoot ; in this way we 
get stout, well-proportioned trees. This 
brings us to the end of the second year, and 
gives us young trees of one year's growth. 
Peach trees should always be planted out at 
this age, and all trees intended for training 
in particular forms ; but as this part of the 
subject will be considered under the head 
,- . -, T of " Selection of Trees.^'' we will proceed to 

A young budded "^ pi 

tree in its first the course of management for the 
su^^ OTted^T^^a Third Yeae.— We commence this year 
stake. The line with trees of One year's growth, and the first 
at A indicates point is to determine what form is to be 

the cutting away ^ . 77 t ^ 7 

of the stock close given them — wnetner tall 01* dwarf stand- 
to the bud. ards, pyramids^ bushes, OT espaliers. Having 

settled these matters, we have but to follow up the proper 
course to accomplish the desired ends. It may be well to 
take each of these forms in succession, and point out the 
necessary management under various circumstances. 

1st. Standards. — Until very lately, trees of all sorts, 
and for every situation, were grown as tall standards, with 
naked trunks, six, and even eight feet high. Indeed, it 
appeared as though an impression existed amongst people 
that a tree was not in reality a tree, nor worthy of a place 
on their grounds, if it had not this particular form. Lat' 




BUDDING, GRAFTING, ETC. 153 

tcrly however, since fruit-tree culture has become more 
practised, and somewhat better understood, this impres- 
sion lias been gradually losing ground, and in all parts of 
the country low trees are finding advocates. 

Experience is beginning to teach people that, whilst tall 
standards in an orchard possess the single advantage of 
admitting the operations of the plow under the branches, 
low standards are much more secure against the numerous 
fatal diseases that attack the trunks, are much more ac- 
cessible for the performance of all the necessary details 
of management and for the gathering of tbe fruit, and 
are less exposed to damage from high winds. 

These are all very important advantages, certainly ; but 
the most important one is the safety of the tree against 
diseases of the trunk. In all parts of this country we 
have a powerful sun in summer, and in winter and spring 
sudden and violent changes from one extreme to another; 
and experience has shown that the trunk and large 
branches, being fully exposed to all external influences, 
are generally the parts first attacked with disease. Cul- 
tivators are, of course, at liberty to choose for themselves; 
but, except to meet the wants of some particular circum- 
stances, no standard tree should have a branchless stem 
above five feet in height ; four is preferable for all, ex- 
cept orchards of common apples for cider or stock. Trees 
with heads only four feet from the ground are always 
easy of access, and the natural spread of the branches af- 
fords a great protection to the trunk at all seasons. Nur- 
serymen should by all means encourage, by precept and 
example, the cultivation of low-headed trees. 

Starting with the yearling trees for standards, we 
examine the habit of the variety, whether stout or slen- 
der ; whether branched, as many varieties are the first 
season, or without branches. Before proceeding to the 
operation of cutting down to increase the size of the 
trunk, the reader is referred to the principles and prac- 



154 



THE N^UESERY. 



tices of pruning in the first part of the work. (Part I, 
Chapter Y.) Xo pruning should be attempted for the 
attainment of any special purpose without liaving first 
carefully studied these. 

If slender, and without side branches, as in fig. 91, 
they should be cut back twelve 
to twenty inches, as at A; 
this removes the buds that 
would push first, and retains 
the sap in the lower parts, 
which will give a stout body. 
The taller and more slender 
the tree, and the smaller the 
buds, the farther it becomes 
necessary to cut back. In 
fact, some very feeble-grow- 
ing sorts must be cut back 
until within a foot or less of 
the base. During the sum- 
mer, trees cut back in this way- 
may produce lateral shoots 
on the greater part of their 
length. These must not be 
pruned off, but kept in a 
uniform size and vigor by 
pinching any that threaten to 
exceed their proper bounds. Figs. 91 and 93. 

The shoots immediately below ^Ig. 91, a yearling tree; to the 

.-ITT .-1 iUT t)ud A, indicates the cutting baclv to 

the leader must be AVatched, ^ake a stout stem for a stamlard ; 5 

as they are always inclined to and C, the cutting back for pyra- 

,^„^V> 4-^^ 04^,.^^^1-r^ mids or low standards; D, the cut- 

push too strongly. ^.^„ ^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^.^^ ;^ ^^p^^.^^.^ 

A tree thus cut back, and Fig. 92, a young tree once cut hack 

the side branches regulated *« fo™ trunk for a standard. 
by pinching, will, in the fall, have a stout body, and pre- 
sent the appearance of fig. 92. Where the yearlings are 
short and stout, and are furnished with a few lateral 




BUDDING, GRAFTING, ETC. 155 

shoots, cutting back may be unnecessary. The largest 
of the side shoots may be pruned off wholly ; and the 
small ones left to retain the sap in the lower part of the 
stem, at least until midsummer, when new ones will have 
been produced. There are certain stout-growing, branch- 
ing varieties of all the fruits tliat require no shortening, 
and very little pruning of any kind, to form stout trunks, 
when not planted too close. 

Dwarf Standards. — The management of yearling buds 
to produce these, is similar to that described for standards, 
varying it always to suit the particular habit of the spe- 
cies or variety ; tall, slender-growing sorts require cutting 
back, and the suppression of branches at the top ; but 
many varieties of cherries and plums, some very stout- 
growing pears and apples, and all apricots and peaches, 
may commence the formation of heads this season. The 
stem is cut at the point desired, two to three feet from the 
ground, to form the head on ; and three or four of the 
stoutest shoots, growing in opposite directions, are pre- 
served, whilst all others, close to them, are pinched off 
when two or three inches long ; side branches are allowed 
to remain that season on the stem to strengthen it, but 
they are kept short and regular by pinching. In the fall 
these trees will be fit for the final j^lanting out, whilst 
those of weaker habit will require another season, if heads 
are wanted. 

Pyramids. — Yearling trees, intended for pyramids, are 
cut back so far as to insure the production of vigorous 
side branches within six or eight inches of the stock. The 
habits of growth of the species and variety must be care- 
fully taken into account. Some are disposed, from the 
beginning, to form lateral branches ; and others require 
vigorous measures to force them to do so. As examples, 
the Bloodgood pear is very much inclined to branch the 
first year, whilst the Louise Bonne de Jersey and Duchess 
d'Angouleme seldom do so, unless in some way the grow- 



15G THE NURSERY. 

ing point be checked. So it is in cherries ; most of the 
Dukes and Morellos are inclined to produce l.-iterals the 
first season; but the free-growing sorts, Hearts and Bi- 
garreaus^ rarely do so, unless the point is checked early in 
the season. So it is in all the fruits, and therefore no gen- 
eral rule can be given ; but the appearance of the tree indi- 
cates the treatment required. Where we see side branches 
naturally produced the first season, we at once conclude 
that the buds are well disposed to break, and the cutting 
back may be comparatively light. Where no side 
branches are produced, we must be governed by the 
appearance of the buds on the lower pai-t of the tree, 
where it is desired to produce the lower branches ; if they 
be small and flat, it will take close cutting to arouse them ; 
but if plump and prominent, less vigorous measures will 
be necessary. In the case of short, stout, and branched 
yearlings, a few of the best placed, lowest, and strongest 
branches are reserved, whilst the others are entirely re- 
moved. We then shorten the reserved branches accord- 
ing to their position, leaving the lowest the longest. The 
leading shoot is shortened, so that all the buds left will be 
sure to push and form shoots. When these have attained 
the length of two or three inches, the strongest and best 
placed are selected for permanent branches, and the others 
are pinched off. 

Yearlings that have no side branches (fig. 91), we gen- 
erally cut back one-half, as to ^, and, in many cases, two- 
thirds, to C^ in order to obtain strong branches near the 
ground. Almost every bud, below the one we cut to, 
should push ; and when shoots of two inches or so are 
made, we select two, three, or such number as may be 
wanted, of the strongest and best situated, to be reserved, 
and pinch the others. It very generally happens that two 
or three buds next below the one we cut to, push with 
such vigor as to injure both the leading shoot above and 
the side shoots below them. They must be watched, and 



BUDDING, GRAFTING, ETC. 



157 



pinched as soon as this disposition "becomes obvious. 

Yearling trees managed in this way will present, in the 

fall, the appearance of fig. 93. 

Purchasers are very apt to favor tall trees even at tlie 

expense of their forms ; and nurserymen, even those who 
know better, with a view to suiting 
the tastes of their customers, rarely 
cut their trees back sufficiently to 
make pyramids. The first branches 
are seldom less than two feet from 
the ground, and it is quite difficult to 
make real pyramids of such trees af- 
terwards ; at all events, it incurs a 
great loss of time, for the whole of 
the branches and half of the stem 
must be cut away to produce the 
required form. 

Dwarf Bushes. — The apple on 
Paradise is generally grown in this 
form — with six to twelve inches of 
a stem, and spreading heads. The 
Morello cherry, and the cherry, or 
Mirabelle plums, and many kinds of 
pears, may be grown as dwarf 
bushes, if desirable. The stocks 
must all be of a dwarf character. 
Plants, from which the strongest 
for dwarf standards and pyramids, 
The branches being 

so near tne root, renaers a less amount of vig^or neces- 




Fig. 93, a two-year-old 
tree cnt back once, and in- 
tended for a pyramid. The 
cross linos indicate the 
second cuttinsr back. 



have 
will 



been selected 
make very good bushes, 
the root, renders a less 



sary. Yery strong yearling plants may be allowed to 
form heads the second year, but such as are very slen- 
der, will require cutting back and another season's growth 
before the head is allowed to form ; and they will require 
a similar course of treatment as has been recommended 
for standards and dwarf standards. No matter what the 



158 THE NURSERY. 

character of the tree is, a stout stem, is necessary ; and, 
although the measures taken to obtain this seem to re- 
quire, in some cases, a loss of time, still there is a gain in 
the end ; for trees allowed to form heads before the stems 
are amply sufficient to support them, require a great deal 
of extra cai-e after planting out, and a course of shorten- 
ing back, that offsets the temporary advantage of forming 
the liead a year sooner. This holds good in all cases. 
The mode of forming the heads of dwarf bushes is simi- 
lar to that described for standards. 

Espalier Trees. — These have a few advantages peculiar 
to themselves, which will be explained under the head 
of " the selection of trees for the garden." 

To form espaliers, yearling trees are usually chosen, 
planted in the place where they are to remain, and cut 
back to within four or five buds of the stocks, as at J>, 
fig. 91 ; these buds break and produce shoots, from which 
the strongest are chosen to form the arms, and the others 
are rubbed off. 

The peach grows so vigorously that, if the growing 
bud be checked when a foot high, it will produce side 
shoots, from which two may be selected from the main 
branches of the espalier, and thus a year will be saved. 
Another way is to insert two buds, one on each side of 
the stock. Very nice espalier trees may be grown in 
the form of a pyramid, with a main stem and lateral 
branches, the lowest being the longest. I have seen the 
pear grown in this form very successfully. Trees for this 
form require the same management as pyramids, except 
that the branches should be placed opposite on two sides. 
This brings us to the end of the third year, and the trees 
are now two years old from the bud. At this age we 
take it for granted that all trees on dwarf stocks iov pyra- 
mids^ dwarfs, and espaliers, and all standards even, of 
the peach, apricot, and nectarine, and, in most cases, the 
cherry and plum, will be finally planted out. Standard 



TREATMENT OF SOIL. 159 

pears and apples are almost the only trees that require to 
be left longer in the nursery; and their management 
during the third and fourth years of their growth, if 
allowed to remain so long, will be similar to that de- 
scribed for the second. In the spring, February, or 
March, the leading shoot is cut back, in order to increase 
the stoutness of the stem as it advances in height ; and, 
during the summer, the side shoots are kept of uniform 
length and vigor by pinching. The lower side branches 
are removed gradually, every season, as the tree becomes 
strong enough to dispense with them. As it has been be- 
fore remarked, the cutting back depends always on the 
natural character of the subject. Stout, short-jointed, 
moderate growing sorts, that naturally increase in height 
and diameter of stem in proper proportions, will require 
no cutting back. Yery few, however, have this habit. 
In nearly all cases, more or less short ening-in, every 
spring, is necessary, until the stem has arrived at the 
requisite heiglit, and is well proportioned, decreasing 
gradually in diameter from the base to the top. 

The Treatment of the Soil. — During the whole period 
the trees remain in the nursery, the ground about them 
must be kept clean and finely pulverized on the surface 
by repeated and continual stirring. Every spring, as soon 
as the heavy rains are over, and the ground is settled and 
dry, the space between the rows should be plowed, if 
they are far enough apart to admit of it. A small one- 
horse plow, such as is used for plowing cornfields (see 
implements), is suitable, but it should not be allowed to go 
nearer than six inches to the tree, nor so deep as to come 
in contact with the roots. After plowing, the cultivator 
may be run through once each way between the rows, 
every week or two, and this will leave very little hoeing 
to be done. If the rows are so close as not to admit the 
plow and cultivator, the forked spade must be used in 
the spring, to give the ground a thorough stirring, and 



160 THE NURSERY. 

afterwards the hoe. If the ground be naturally adhesive, 
a second or even a third j^lowing or spading may be 
necessary in the course of the summer ; for it must, at all 
times, be kept m a loose, porous condition, or the roots 
will be deprived of the benefits of the air and moisture. 
Stirring the ground so often that weeds barely make 
their apj^earance is not only the best but most economical 
culture. 

It need scarcely be added that, in using the plow or 
cultivator among trees, a very short whiffle-tree should 
be used, the horse should be gentle and steady, and the 
plowman both careful and skillful ; and laborers who use 
the spade or hoe should be duly cautioned against cutting 
or bruising the trees with their implements. • 

Section 5. — ^Propagation and ISTursery Culture of 
Several Fruit-Trees and Shrubs not usually 
Grafted or Budded. 

1st. The Grape. — During the last ten years, the culture 
of liardy grapes has made great progress in the United 
States. The demand for vines has, consequently, been 
very great, so that nurserymen and grape growers have 
resorted to every method of propagation that skill and 
ingenuity could suggest. 

I think it may be truly said that a single establishment 
has produced as many vines in one season as all the nurse- 
ries in the Union did twenty years ago. 

Grafting, layering of ripe wood and green wood, long 
cuttings, eyes, both of ripe wood and green wood, culture 
in the open air and under glass — some employing one, 
and some the other, and some all of these combined. 

I shall proceed to describe, briefly, each of these 
methods. 

(1.) Layering^ which is the most simjDle, and the surest 
for unpractised hands. There are two modes of layering, 
one of the ripe wood, and the other of the green. The 



THE GiiAPi:. 161 

first is performed by laying down, in the spring, a shoot 
or cane of last season'' s growth, bedding it in the ground, 
and covering it two inches or so in depth. A young 
plant will be produced from every eye, or joint. In the 
fall the cane is lifted, and the young plants separated 
from one another by cutting between the joints. This 
makes very good plants. 

Layering the Green Wood is performed by laying 
down, in midsummer, a shoot or cane of the current sea- 
son's growth in the manner described in the article on 
propagation, page 87, fig. 64. 

(2.) Long Cuttings. — This is the common, well-known, 
old-fashioned method of propagating the hardy grapes ; 
and is, on the whole, perhaps, the cheapest and best in all 
ordinary cases. It is done in this way: The strongest, 
roundest, and ripest shoots, or canes, of the previous sea- 
son's growth, are selected, and cut into pieces twelve to 
eighteen inches in length ; having two or three eyes, or 
buds, as in fig. 62. 

They are cut close to an eye at the lower end, tied up 
in bundles of convenient size, and may be buried in sand, 
in a cold cellar, until the frost is out of the ground, in the 
spring, when they can be set in a trench in the ground, 
exposed to the south, in the bundles, lower end up, and 
covered four to six inches deep with earth. Here they 
can remain until the ground is dry and warm, and the 
weather favorable to growth. By this time the ends will 
be calloused, and, perhaps, even begin to emit roots, when 
they may be planted. 

In planting, the whole cutting is buried, leaving the 
ujDper eye just at or near the surface ; but the cutting is 
laid obliquely, as in fig. 62, so that the lower part will 
not be too far away from atmospheric heat. 

The summer culture will consist in keeping the ground 
clean and mellow ; and if only one shoot is allowed to 
grow, and kept tied up, all the better. 



162 THE NURSERY. 

Propagation from Eyes. — The propagation of the 
hardy grape from eyes, in the open ground, or without 
bottom heat, is not generally practised, yet, with most 
kinds, it may be done with tolerable success. As in the 
case of the long cuttings, the rooting process should be 
commenced before the eyes are planted out. This is done 
by mixing with sand or earth or moss in shallow boxes, 
and placing them in a greenhouse, or in a frame with a 
glazed sash over them, for three or four weeks before the 
time of planting out. They should not be i)latited until 
the ground is warm, and the weather favorable to im- 
mediate growth. The soil should be dry, warm, and liglit, 
covering about two inches deep. 

In favorable seasons, tolerably good plants are produced 
in this way, especially of the free-growing sorts. 

The more common way of propagating from eyes is to 
start them on a bottom heat, either in propagating houses 
or in hot-beds. In houses, the bottom heat is furnished 
either by hot water, circulating in tanks, by hot- water 
pipes, or by warm-air flues of brick or tile, under the 
bench, in which the eyes are planted. Any and all of 
these modes of supplying bottom heat answer very well. 

When the eyes are well rooted, they are transplanted 
into good, rich soil, either in another house, or in frame 
covered with glass, or into open borders. Larger and bet- 
ter ripened plants will be produced under glass, but at a 
much greater cost. The present system, however, of 
crowding them so close together in glass-houses, and forc- 
ing their growth, produces very weak, poor plants, which, 
but for the present demand for new sorts, would be re- 
garded as worthless. 

Propagating from Eyes of Green Wood. — This 
method has, of lite, been resorted to for the purpose of 
increasing the new high-priced varieties. When a grape 
is selling at $2 to $3 per plant, the inducement to multi- 
ply it is very great. Some people think that good plants 



THE GRAPE. 163 

cannot be produced in this way ; but this is an error. It 
is true, however, that very few good plants are thus pro- 
duced. If only good, strong wood were used, grown on 
vigorous plants, and so far advanced in ripeness as to have 
the eyes well develope-l, as good plants can be grown in 
this way as from ripe wood eyes. But when weak shoots 
or laterals are used, and when two or three crops of shoots 
or eyes are taken from the same plants, by a forced growth, 
the plants are not good. No purchaser of ordinary intel- 
ligence can be deceived with them. They are generally 
sold on account of their cheapness, and those who buy 
them on that account should not complain. My opinion 
is, in regard to plants, that if they are strong^ well rooted^ 
and well ripened^ it is of no consequence how they were 
propagated. 

In propagating from green-wood cuttings, the eyes are 
prepared in the same manner as ripe- wood eyes, but the 
leaf, or a portion of it, is left attached to each one, and 
they must have a bottom heat of 70° or 80°, or even 
more. 

In two or three weeks they will be rooted sufficiently 
to bear transplanting, and then they are treated as other 
plants in the same condition ; usually, however, they are 
kept under glass until the end of the season. 

Grafting. — In the case of new and rare varieties, graft- 
ing has been, and is, employed with great success. We 
have grown Delawares fifteen or sixteen feet high, and of 
unusual thickness, from the graft, in one season, under glass. 

Very small })ieces, say two inches, if small roots, are 
used, as the object is merely to furnish a temporary sup- 
port to the eye, until its own roots have been produced. 

The root is cut to a wedge shape at the upper end, and 
the cion, a single eye, with about an inch of wood, is 
set on it like a saddle, and tied with a thread. 

The planting and subsequent treatment is just the same 
as for eyes. 



164 THE J^^URSERY. 

It is not my purpose to describe, in detail, all the opera- 
tions connected Avith the propagation of the grape, but 
to give a general idea of the several methods, and the 
principles upon which they are supposed to be founded. 
Those who desire more explicit and fidl information may 
consult some of the special treatises on the grape, which 
have recently been published. 

The foreign varieties of the grape are propagated al- 
most exclusively from eyes of the ripe wood. 

They are prepared and planted on a bottom heat, as 
described for the hardy sorts. 

The eyes, however, are usually put in pots — a single 
eye in a 3-inch pot — when only a small number are to be 
propagated, or several eyes may be put in a large pot 
around the edges. On a large scale, the eyes may be 
planted directly on the propagating benches, or in boxes 
containing several hundred eyes. 

The material used to plant them in, either in pots, 
boxes, or on the benches, is almost pure sand, and the 
eyes are inserted so that the bud shall be nearly covered. 

Here, a steady temperature of 70° or 80°, and regular 
watering, are indispensable. When they have made a 
growth of three or four inches, the plants can be shifted 
into pots of good, rich compost, and replaced on the bot- 
tom heat, watered regularly, tied up, and the laterals 
suppressed ; they will make fine plants in one season. 
Towards autumn, say after 1st of September, ample ven- 
tilation and little watering should be given, so as to pro- 
mote the ripening of the wood. 

Wintering the Young J^lants. — Young plants of the 
hardy grapes, whether grown in the house or open bor- 
der, should be allowed to stand in their place until the 
approach of hard freezing, so that they may ripen as well 
as possible. 

They should then be taken up, " heeled in," laid in 
trenches in dry soil, covering the roots and stem almost 



THE CURRANT. 165 

to the top with earth, and then, over all, some leaves, 
straw, or evergreen branches. 

Young plants of the foreign varieties, grown in pots, 
we usually winter in the j^ots, on shelves, in a cellar free 
from frost ; but they might be wintered in the same way 
as the hardy grapes — shaking them out of the pots, and 
heeling them in. 

2d. The Currant. — Every one knows how to propagate 
this. A yearling shoot, six inches to a foot long, taken 
off close to the old wood,^and planted half or two-thirds 
its length in the ground, in the spring, will make a 
strong, well-rooted plant in the autumn. To prevent 
shoots from springing up below the surface of the ground, 
the eyes on that part are cut out, or they may be left the 
first season, and cut out when the plants are rooted. 

The buds aid in the formation of roots. When a 
variety is rare and scarce, the young shoots may all be 
layered in July, and they will make well-rooted plants 
in the fall. 

3d. Gooseberries are propagated in the same way, and 
with almost equal facility, as currants, though, as a gen- 
eral thingj they do not grow with such rapidity. Layers 
are the surest, but they require to be one year in the 
nursery rows after being separated from the mother plant, 
to make them strong enough for the final planting. An 
inch or two of swamp moss, laid over the surface of the 
ground in which layers are made, assists in retaining the 
moisture. This is applicable to all kinds of layers. 

4th. Strawberries are propagated by the runners, which 
spread on the surface of the ground, in all directions, from 
the plant, as soon as it begins to grow in the spring. 
Where a variety is scarce, and it is desirable to multiply 
it carefully, these runners should be sunk slightly in the 
ground, and pegged down, as they will root and form 
plants for removal much quicker than if left to root in 
their own way. With good management, a single plant 



1C6 THE NURSERY. 

may produce twenty-five to fifty, and even one hundred 
in one season. Plants to be propagated from should have 
abundance of space, and a deep, rich soil. An applica- 
tion of liquid manure will stimulate their vigor, and in- 
crease the number and strength of the runners. 

The Bush Alpine varieties, which make no runners, are 
usually propagated by division ; but it is much better to 
propagate them by seeds, which should be sown as soon 
as the fruit is ripe. 

5th. Maspherries. — The usual mode of propagating the 
Raspberry is from the shoots, or canes, called " suckers," 
which are produced from the collar and spreading roots 
of the plant. A crop of these spring up every year. 

Much better plants, and many more of them, may be 
produced by taking up the roots, cutting them into small 
pieces, say an inch long, and planting them in beds of 
good, rich, light soil, with a little bottom heat, and a 
glazed sash over them, until they have made a good start. 
They may then be transplanted to the open borders. In 
this way fine plants are made in one season — much better 
than the ordinary suckers from old plants. 

The American Black Cap family of raspberries, are 
propagated from the tips of the shoots, which are fastened 
to the ground. This is their natural method of multiply- 
ing themselves. ' 

The seeds are washed out of the ripe fruit and sowed 
at once, making good plants the next season. 

6th. Blackberries. — The Blackberry is propagated in ex- 
actly the same way as the raspberry, but the cuttings of 
roots make much more desirable plants than the suckers. 
Indeed, the latter are seldom fit to be planted ; being 
destitute of fibres, they mostly fail. 

7th. Mulberries. — The principal Mulberries grown for 
the fruit are the Black Mulberry [Morus nigra), and Down- 
ing's Everbearing, a seedling of the Morus multicmiUs^ 
used so extensively in China to feed the silk-worm. 



BATIBERRIES, CHESTNUTS, ETC. 167 

Both can be propagated from cuttings and layers, and 
by grafting and inarching. We usually graft on roots 
of the White Mulberry in the liouse, as we do grapes — 
put them in pots or boxes, and keep them under glass 
until they have taken well and made a few inches of 
growth, when they are planted out in the open ground. 

8th. barberries. — These are propagated from seeds, 
suckers, and layers in the simplest manner. It usually 
takes layers two years to root sufficiently to be separated 
from the parent plant. New or rare sorts can be grafted 
on the common ones quite easily. 

9th. Chestnuts are usually grown from seed, either plant- 
ed in the fall, as we always do, or kept in sand during 
winter, and planted in the spring. The large varieties 
of the Spanish Chestnut, or Marron, which do not come 
true from seed, can be grafted on the others. 

10th. Filberts are grown from seed, but the finer varie- 
ties are propagated by suckers or, layers, or by grafting 
them on seedling stocks. Plants grown in the latter way 
have the advantage of not producing suckers, and are, 
therefore, more desirable for the garden. Layering is the 
method usually employed in the nurseries. 

11th. Walnuts. — Our native Walnuts, and the English 
Walnut, or Madeira ISTut, are usually grown from seed ; 
but there is a Dwarf prolific variety of the English, called 
''^ Preparturiens^'' which must be increased by graftmg or 
budding on the others, and this is rarely performed with 
any considerable degree of success in the nurseries. 

12th. Figs. — The Fig can be easily propagated from 
seeds, layers, cuttings of ripe wood or green wood, and 
from suckers. As the more esteemed varieties do not re- 
produce truly from seed, this method is seldom em])loyed, 
except in seeking for new varieties. Layering is a very 
good way. Fruiting branches may be layered in pots or 
boxes, and thus fruiting plants be obtained at once. 

Cuttings of ripe wood, taken ofi* in the fall, kept in the 



168 THE NURSERY. 

cellar in sand during the winter, and planted out in the 
spring in a warm, dry border, will grow about as certain- 
ly as grape cuttings, if not more so. 

If planted in pots, and set in a hot-bed, or where they 
will get a slight bottom heat, they will come along more 
surely and rapidly. Cuttings of the green shoots, taken 
off when two or three inches long, and placed on a gentle 
bottom heat, root quickly. 

Sectio:n^ 6. — Labels for Nursery Trees. 

It is highly important that a correct system for preserv- 
ing the names of varieties be adopted. Our practice is, 
to make labels of cedar, eighteen inches long, three inches 
wide, and about an inch thick. These are pointed 
on one end, to be sunk in the ground eight or ten 
inches, and the face is painted white. Wlien a 
variety is to be budded or grafted, the name, or 
a number referring to a regular record, is written 
on it, and it is put in the ground in front of 
the first tree of the variety. Besi<les this, we 
invariably record, in the nursery book, each row, 
with the kind or kinds worked on it, in the order 
they stand in the square. In case of the acci- 
dental loss of the labels, the record preserves the 
names. Figure 94 represents this kind of label, 
and though there are many others in use, we 
believe this to be one of the simplest and best. 
At the time of budding or grafting, we usu- 
ally write the name on with pencil, and after the 
square has been all worked, the numbers are 
made with a brush and black paint in a conspicu- 
Kows. ous manner. 

Section 7. — Taking up Trees erom the Nursery. 

This is an operation that should be well understood, 
and performed with the greatest care. The importance 




TAKING UP TREES FROM THE NURSERY. 169 

of the fibrous roots has been already explained. It has 
been shown that they are the principal absorbing parts of 
the roots, and when they are destroyed, the tree receives a 
great shock, from which it requires good treatment and a 
lono: time to recover. There is a o^reat difference in the 
character of roots, some penetrating the ground to a great 
depth, and. requiring much labor in the removal, others 
quite fibrous near the surface, and consequently very 
easily taken up. This difference is not owing alone to 
the difference in the species, but to whether the subjects 
have or have not been frequently transplanted. The way 
to take up a tree properly is to dig a trench on each side, 
at the extremities of the lateral or spreading roots, taking 
care that the edge, and. not the face of the spade, be kept 
next the tree, so that the roots will not be cut off. When 
this trench is so deep as to be below all the lateral roots, 
a sliglit pull, and a pry on each side with the spade, will 
generally bring out the tree. If there be strong tap- 
roots, running down to a great depth, they may be cut 
with astroke of the spade. Laborers who have not been 
accustomed to the work, invariably perform it badly ; and 
it is difficult to get it properly done, even 
by experienced hands. It is a work requir- 
ing care and leisure, though it is usually 
performed slovenly, and in great haste. 

Labelling, — When a tree, or a number of 
trees, of any variety are taken up, a label, 
with the name written on it, should at once 
be attached. The kind of label used in the 
nurseries here is a piece of pine, about three 
and a half inches long, three-fourths of an "label fok 
inch wide, and one-eighth of an inch thick. trees. 
A neck is made on one end by cutting into each 
edge about an eighth of an inch ; a piece of No. 26 
copper wire, about seven or eight inches long, is then 
fastened in the middle, on the neck of the label, with 
8 




170 THE NURSERY. 

two or three twists. The two ends of the wire are 
then placed around the stem, or a branch of the tree, 
and are fastened with a twist or two. This kind of 
wire and label we find, by experience, to be not only safe, 
but more expeditiously attached than any other. If a 
little paint is rubbed on just before being used, the writ- 
ing will be more legible and permanent, but it should be 
so light as to be barely perceptible, else it will clog the 
pencil. These labels are now manufactured in this city 
by machinery, and furnished to the nurserymen, without 
the wire, at thirty to forty cents per thousand. The wire 
costs sixty cents per pound, and is cut into lengths with a 
pair of common shears. 

Packing. — Persons who are ignorant of the structure 
of trees never appreciate the importance of packing, and 
that is the reason why so many trees are every year 
destroyed by exposure. It is not uncommon, in this part 
of the country, to see apple trees loaded up on hay-racks, 
like so much brush, without a particle of covering on any 
part of thera, to travel a journey of three or four weeks 
in this condition. Of course it is utterly impossible that 
such trees can live or thrive ; and yet the persons who 
thus conduct their nursery operations are doing the most 
profitable business. Such practices are not only dishonest, 
but highly injurious and disreputable to the trade ; and 
it is by no means fair to class such people amongst re- 
spectable and honorable nurserymen. 

Purchasers are often at fault in this matter. Nursery- 
men have to buy and pay for the material used in pack- 
ing. Mats cost one to two shillings apiece; straw, four 
to five cents |ter small bundle ; yarn, one to two shillings 
per pound ; moss, $15 to |20 per cord ; and besides, the 
labor of packing, when vaell done^ is very great. It is, 
therefore, not unreasonable that a charge be made ; but 
some people, rather than pay fifty cents for packing fifty 
trees, would expose themselves to the risk of losing all. 



TAKING UP TREES FROM THE NURSERY. ITl 

Purchasers should invariably charge the nurseryman, to 
whom they send their orders, to pack in the best manner. 
Better pay one or even two cents per tree for packing 
than lose it, or injure it so much as to make it almost 
worthless. 

The mode of packing pursued here is this : Where the 
trees are packed in bundles, a number of ties are first laid 
down, then a layer of long rye straw, three or four inches 
deep ; the trees are then laid compactly together, straw 
being placed among the tops, to prevent their being chafed 
when drawn together, and damp moss from the swamp is 
shaken among the roots. When the bundle is built, long 
straw is placed on the top as below, and it is then bound 
up as tightly as it can be drawn. Straw is then placed 
around the roots sufficiently thick to exclude the air, and 
then a bass mat is sewed on over the straw. If the bun- 
dle is only to go a short distance, the straw can be so se- 
cured around the roots that the mats may be dispensed 
with ; but if it has a long journey to perform, it should 
be matted from bottom to top, and sewed with strong, 
tarred, spun yarn, about as thick as a goose-quill. JBoxes 
are more secure for very long journeys ; they are generally 
made of ^[g-inch white pine timber. Boxes are now em- 
ployed almost exclusively, as they are found to be cheaper 
and safer, and railroads charge one-half more freight on 
strawed or matted bundles. If the trees are composed 
of several varieties, they should be tied in small parcels 
of four to six each, according to the size. The sides and 
ends of the box should be well lined with straw, and the 
roots bedded in moss and the tops in straw, to prevent 
chafing. 

If the box be large, two rows of cleats are necessary — 
one in the middle, and one in the top, to hold the trees in 
their place, and to keep the box from spreading. When 
the box is nailed up, it should be banded both at the ends 
and middle with iron hoops, fastened with wrought nails. 



172 THE NUESERY. 

Hickory hoops are sometimes employed, and answer very 
well. Packed in this way, trees may go any distance 
with safety. The season of the year modifies the mode 
of packing. The roots should always, for a long journey, 
be immersed in a thin mud before being packed, as this 
excludes the air ; but in the fall, this mud should be dry 
before the package is made up, and the moss should con- 
tain very little moisture. In a frosty time, the less moist- 
ure there is about the roots the better; but an abundance 
of straw should be used to exclude the air and frost. 

Heelhig-in. — When trees are taken up, and can neither 
be packed nor planted at once, they are laid in by the 
roots in trenches ; the longer they have to remain in this 
situation the better it should be performed. Trees are 
often wintered in this way, and, if the trenches are dug 
deep, and the roots well spread out, and deeply covered, 
they are perfectly safe. It should be done, in such cases, 
with almost as much care as the final planting of a tree. 
When great bundles of the roots are huddled in together, 
and only three or four inches of earth thrown over them, 
both air and frost act upon them, and they sustain serious 
injury. Tender trees, likely to sufier from the freezing of 
the shoots, should be laid in an inclined, almost horizon- 
tal, position, and be covered with brush, evergreen boughs, 
or something that will break the violence of the wind 
and frost. Straw should not be used, as it attracts vermin. 
Some rough litter or manure should also be thrown around 
the roots, and in this way the most tender of all our fruit 
trees may be wintered with safety. 



P^RT III. 



THE LAYING OUT, ARRANGEMENT, AND GENERAL 
MANAGEMENT OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF PER- 
MANENT PLANTATIONS OF FRUIT-TREES, 
SELECTION OF TREES AND VARIETIES, 
AND PRUNING AND CONDUCTING 
TREES UNDER VARIOUS FORMS. 



1T3 



CHAPTER I. 

PERMANENT PLANTATIONS OF FRUIT-TKEES. 
Section 1. — The Different Kinds of Plantations. 

The different kinds of plantations may be classed as 
follows : 1st. The Fatnily Orchard^ which is a portion of 
the farm set apart for the production of the more hardy 
and common fruit, principally apples, for the use of the 
farm stock and the family. 2d. The Market, or Commer- 
cial Orchard, a large plantation of the various species 
of fnut-trees, for the production of fruit as an article of 
commerce. 3d. The Fruit Garden^ which, with the far- 
mer, is a plot of ground near the dwelling, in which the 
finer fruits, as pears, peaches, plums, cherries, apricots, 
etc., and all the small fruits, are cultivated. In many 
cases, and even in most cases, it is a portion of the kitchen 
garden, where the table or culinary vegetables are 
grown. With the professional man, the merchant, the 
mechanic, and others who reside in cities, villages, and 
their suburbs, possessing but small tracts of land, at most 
but a few acres, the fruit garden is the only source for 
the supply of fruits for their families, and is usually 
planted with the most rare, perishable, and valuable sorts, 
that cannot so easily be procured in market. 

The pleasure and profit derived from fruit plantations, 
under any or all of these circumstances, depend upon 
the judicious selection of soil^ situation,, trees, and varie- 
ties, and their proper arrangement and management. 
These are the essential points, and every man who con- 
templates planting to a greater or less extent, should 
avail himself of all the light which experience has shed 

175 



176 PEKMAXENT PLANTATIONS. 

upon these various branches of the subject, before mak- 
ing the first movement towards the execution of his 
project. 

Section 2. — The Orchard. 

The orchard is distinguished from the fruit garden in 
this, that the trees planted in it are generally of the larg- 
est size to which the species attain ; they are grown in 
the natural, or, as it is called, standard form, without any 
particular training, and the varieties are generally the 
most hardy and productive of the species. 

1st. The situation of an orchard^ with regard to expos- 
ure or aspect, requires very little consideration in some 
parts of the country. Where, as in Western New York, 
for instance, the winters are uniform, or comparatively so, 
in temperature, and late spring frosts do not prevail, the 
main difiiculties to guard against are the prevailing high 
winds from the west and north that injure the blossoms, 
and blow off the fruit before it is mature. If possible, a 
situation should be chosen where some natural obstacle, 
as a hill,*or a belt of woods, would break the force and 
influence of these destructive winds. Where no such 
obstacle naturally exists, a belt or border of rapidly -grow- 
ing trees, such as Soft Maple^ White Pine^ Norway 
Spruce, Scotch Pine, European Larch, etc., should be 
planted simultaneously with the planting of the orchard, 
that they may grow up and form a protection by the time 
the trees have come into bearing. Instances occur every 
year in our own section where sheltered orchards bear 
full crops, whilst those fully exposed to the winds fail 
entirely. 

' In othei- sections, as in some of the central and south- 
ern counties of New York, and in some parts of Ohio, 
Illinois, Wisconsin, and others of the Western as well as 
in the Southern States, where late and fatal spring frosts 
prevail, the selection of a situation is a most important 



THE ORCHARD. 177 

point. In such localities, an eastern and southern expos- 
ure, and low grounds, are to be avoided. 

John J. Thomas, in his Fruit Culturist, states that, " In 
the valley of the Coshocton, which is flanked by hills five 
hundred feet high, peach-trees have been completely killed 
to the ground, but on one of the neighboring hills, five 
hundred feet above, and probably twelve hundred feet 
above the level of the sea, an orchard, planted in good soil, 
yields regular crops. In the town of Spencer, Tioga 
County, near the head of Cayuga Inlet, peaches have with- 
stood the climate and done well at an elevation of seven 
hundred feet above Cayuga Lake." Lawrence Young, Esq., 
Chairman of the Kentucky Fruit Committee, reported to 
the Pomological Convention at Cincinnati, in 1850, the 
case of an orchard in that State, lying Avithin the peach 
district, occupying the slopes of hills of no great hight, 
inclining gently toward a river, distant only a few hundred 
yards. Its success was that common to a fickle, western 
climate — a fruit year and a failure, or perhaps two years 
of productiveness and three of disappointment in every 
five. 

Within five miles of this orchard, however, is located 
a hill six hundred feet high, upon which the peach crop 
has not failed since he first knew it. Numerous other in- 
stances, are quoted and the particulars given with great 
accuracy, showing the effects of even very slight eleva- 
tions. 

Among others, is an instance of the Heath Peach bear- 
ing a full crop in one part of an orchard, whilst in another 
part, thirty feet lower, the same variety bore not a single 
fruit. Multitudes of such cases might be collected in all 
parts of the country where the climate is variable, because 
in such situations vegetation is earlier excited than in those 
more elevated and colder, and frosts always fall more 
heavily on low than on high grounds. Every one who 
has paid the slightest attention to the action of frost on 
8* 



178 PERMANENT PLANTATIONS. 

vegetation is aware, that even an elevation of two or three 
feet of one portion of the same field or garden above tlie 
other frequently proves a protection from an untimely fro<t. 
In a dry and firm soil, vegetation is more exempt from 
injuries by frost than in a damp, soft, and spongy soil on 
the same level, not only because trees on such soils aie 
more mature and hardier in these parts, but because the 
soil and the atmosphere above it are less charged with 
watery pnrticles that form the deposition of frost. Bodies 
of water that do not freeze in winter, such as some of our 
inland lakes, exert a favorable influence for a considerable 
distance from their margins in protecting vegetation from 
late spring and early autumn frosts. This is well illus- 
trated in Western New York, along the south shore of 
Lake Ontario. Here, in the counties of Wayne, Monroe, 
Orleans, and Niagara, for a distance varying from five to 
seven miles from the lake, the peach crop rarely fails ; 
while farther inland, as the lake influence diminishes, the 
peach crop, for the last ten years, has been, with occasional 
exceptions, a failure. 

In some parts of the West, as in Wisconsin and Illinois, 
the winters are so variable — during the day as mild as 
spring, and in the night the mercury falling many degrees 
below zero — that even the apple and pear trees in soft, 
damp, and rich soils are frequently killed to the ground. 

In such localities, experience has taught cultivators 
that elevated, dry, firm, and moderately rich soil, that will 
produce a firm, well-matured growth, is the only safe- 
guard against the destruction of plantations in the winter. 

In all localities where fruit culture has made any consid- 
erable progress, there is generally experience enough to be 
found, if carefully sought for and collected, to guide begin- 
ners infixing upon sites for orchards ; and no man should ven- 
ture to plant without giving due attention to the subject, 
and availing himself of all the experience of his neighbors ; 
for experience, after all, is the only truly reliable guide. 



THE OUCHARD. 179 

2d. The Soil. — Having treated already of the different 
characters and modes of amelioration of soils, it is only- 
necessary here to jpoint out what particular qualities or 
kinds are best adapted to the different classes of fruit- 
trees, as far as experience will warrant in so doing. There 
are soils of a certain texture and quality, in which, by 
proper management, all our hardy fruits may be grown 
to perfection; for instance, the soil of our specimen 
orchard, which is that usually termed a sandy loam^ with 
a sandy ^ clay subsoil, so dry that it can be worked imme- 
diately after a rain of twenty-four hours. On this we 
have apples, pears, plums, cherries, peaches, apricots, and, 
indeed, all the fruits planted promiscuously, side by side, 
not of choice, but necessity, and all these yield bountiful 
crops of the finest fruit. Our country a))ounds*in such 
Boils, and others somewhat different in character, but 
equally eligible for all fruit-trees when well managed. 
On -the other hand, there are soils wholly unfit for fruit- 
trees of any kind — such are peaty or mucky, and damp, 
cold, and spongy soils. For an orchard of apples or 
pears, a dry, deep, substantial soil, between sandy and a 
clayey loam, and possessing among its inorganic parts a 
considerable portion of lime, is, according to all experi- 
ence, the best. On such soils we find the greatest and 
most enduring vigor and fertility, the healthiest and 
hardiest trees, and the fairest and best-flavored fruits. 
Trees, both of apples and pears, planted on such soils in 
Western New York, upwards of fifty years ago, are, at 
this day, in the very hight of their vigor and productive- 
ness, without having received more than the most ordi- 
nary culture. It has been observed that apples, grown 
on clayey soils, keep better than those grown on light 
soils. 

The plum succeeds best, as a general thing, on a clayey 
loam, rather stiff. The Canada or native plum, and Mira- 
belle, however, succeed well on very light soils. The 



180 PERMANENT PLANTATIONS. 

cherry^ the peachy apricot^ nectarine^ and almond^ require 
a light, dry, and warm soil. The best and most enduring 
peach orchards are on dry, sandy loams ; but good 
orchards are raised, with proper management, on loose, 
light sands, though on such the trees are shorter lived, 
and require constant care in the way of dressings of 
manure and compost. There are two points to be ob- 
served under all circumstances in regard to soils. They 
must possess the inorganic substances, such as lime, pot- 
ash, etc., that constitute a large portion of the ashes of 
the wood and bark of fruit-trees, when burned, and a suf- 
ficient amount of organic matter — vegetable mould, which 
dissolves, and furnishes material for the formation and 
growth of new parts. People who have been long en- 
gaged in the culture of the soil can judge pretty cor- 
rectly of its quality by its appearance, texture, subsoil, 
and the character of the rocks and stones that underlie 
and prevail in it. 

3d. Preparation of Soil for an Orchard. — The season 
before planting, the soil should be at least twice plowed 
with a common and subsoil plow, enriched with suitable 
composts, and drained, if necessary. 

4th. Inclosures. — Before a tree is planted, it is neces- 
sary that the ground be inclosed with a fence, sufficient 
to protect it against the invasion of animals. It is no 
uncommon thing to hear people regret that the cattle 
broke into the orchard and destroyed many trees. Indeed, 
it frequently happens that more damage is done in this 
way than, if duly estimated, would have fenced the whole 
orchard. There is much inquiry nowadays on the sub- 
ject of fences, and various plans and materials are sug- 
gested and tried. Live hedges are unquestionably the 
most ornamental and appropriate inclosures for extensive 
plantations of fruit-trees, and in time will, no doubt, be 
generally adopted. Hitherto the failure of many plants 
tried, and the cost and difficulty of obtaining others, have 



THE ORCHARD. 181 

retarded their introduction. Experience, however, has at 
length pretty fairly decided tliat the Osage Orange is the 
best for the West and South-icest^ and the Buckthorn for 
the JS^orth and East. The seeds of botli these plants are 
now easily procured, and plants of them maybe obtained 
in nurseries from $3 to $5 per 1,000 ; and about 2,000 will 
fence an acre of ground, setting the plants twelve inches 
apart, in two rows, six inches apart, which is the strong- 
est way. A single row, with the plants at six inches 
apart, will make a good fence, with proper shearing to 
thicken them at the bottom ; citlicr way they will make 
a beautiful and efficient hedge in five or six years. The 
Honey-Locust is also a strong, hardy, rapid-growing plant, 
and makes a very beautiful and efficient hedge, which, in 
six or seven years from the planting, will turn any ani- 
mals. We are using tbis on our own grounds in prefer- 
ence to all others. 

For an ornamental hedge, and screen or shelter, there 
is nothing equal at the ISTorth to the Norioay Spruce and 
Arbor Vitce. It is sometimes objected to hedges that 
they harbor birds; but it is to be remembered that birds 
are the natural foes of insects, and never fail to accom- 
plish a vast amount of labor for the good of the fruit 
grower, for which they ought to be fully entitled to a 
participation in his enjoyments. As the feathered race 
are persecuted and driven away from our gardens, insects 
become more numerous and destructive ; at least this is 
the experience of most people, and should lessen, if not 
entirely prevent, the cruel hostility that is continually 
waged against them. It must, however, be admitted that 
occasionally certain species will attack our fruits in such 
force that their destruction becomes not only justifiable, 
but necessary. Even the Itobin becomes troublesome at 
times. 

5th. Selection of Varieties of Fruits for an Orchard. — 
This is a most important point. The selection of varie- 



182 PERMANENT PLxVNTATIONS. 

ties must, in all cases, be made with reference to the spe- 
cial purposes for which they are intended. The family- 
orchard of the farmer we will suppose to contain apple- 
trees alone, as all the other fruits are, or ought to be, 
grown in the fruit garden. His selection of varieties 
must be adapted to his wants and circumstnnces. In the 
first place, the number of his family must regulate the 
proportion of kitchen and table varieties. In the second 
place, he must consider how many he will want for sauce, 
how many for haMng and drying, how many for cider, 
and how many for the dessert, and what proportion of 
sweet and of acid. These are all considerations that de- 
pend upon the habits, taste, and mode of living of fami- 
lies, and for which no man can provide or suggest but 
the planter himself Then, again, he must consider to 
what extent it may be advantageous to feed apples to his 
stock, and provide for it accordingly. 

Without considering well all these points, a man may 
sit down and select what are called " the best varieties," 
and yet find himself badly suited when they come to 
bear ; for so it happens that a variety that may be best 
for the dessert, will be exceedingly unprofitable for other 
purposes. A hardy, vigorous, and productive variety, of 
medium quality, quite unfit for the table, may be infinitely 
more advantageous for feeding stock than a feeble-grow- 
ing, shy-bearing variety, quite indisj^ensable for the des- 
sert ; and an apple may be excellent for sauce, for baking, 
or drying, and unfit for the dessert. These points should 
all be duly considered. 

The Market or Commercial Orchardist must exercise 
the same discrimination in the selection of his varieties, 
adapting them to the mode of culture he intends to pur- 
sue and the market he intends to supply. In the imme- 
diate vicinity of large cities and towns, where the 
orchardist may carry his fruit to market in a few hours, 
the most profitable culture will, generally speaking, be 



THE ORCHARD. 183 

summer and early autumn fruits, or sucli as require to l)e 
consumed immediately after maturity, and are unfit for 
distant transportation. Early apples and pears only will 
be profitable for him, because the autumn and winter va- 
rieties can be sent so easily from the most distant portions 
of the interior, with such facilities as our present system 
of railroads, plank-roads, canals, and steamboats afford. 
In addition to early apples and pears, his position gives 
him great advantages for the profitable culture of all the 
stone fruits^ gooseberries^ currants^ raspberries^ grapes^ 
and such soft fruits, when intended to be disposed of in a 
raw state. 

The market grower of the interior will find his most 
profitable culture to be principally autumn and winter 
apples andpears^ to which he may add quinces^ and, if the 
climate and soil be favorable, the grape^ because all these 
can be packed and transported to a great distance with 
safety ; and the comparative cheapness of his lands enables 
him to compete advantageously with those more favora- 
bly situated in regard to market. He can only cultivate 
the summer fruits with a view to drying or preserving, or 
for the supply of a local demand. All orchard fruits, in- 
tended for profitable orchard culture, should be, first^ in 
regard to the trees, hardy ^ vigorous^ and prodicctive. The 
fruits should be of good size, fair appearance, good keep- 
ers, and of good quality. It should be borne in mind 
that many of the best fruits are very unprofitable for 
general market culture. Under certain circumstances 
this may not be the case, as, for example, in the neigh- 
borhood of such a city as London, or Paris, or even JVew 
York, or Boston, A class of people is to be found in 
such places who will pay almost any price for extra fine 
fruits. Where apples can be sold for $2 per bushel, pears 
at $1 per dozen, grapes at $1 per pound, and other fine 
fruits in proportion, growers are warranted in cultivating 
very choice sorts, even if they be difticult to manage and 



184 PERMANENT PLANTATIONS. 

comparatively unproductive. As a general thing, how- 
ever, taking the markets as they are, the great bulk of 
consumers preferring fruit of tolerable good quality and 
moderate prices to the very best at twice or three times 
the ordinary price, the most profitable varieties will be 
those that can be produced at the least expense, provided, 
always, that they be good ; for fruits of a decidedly in- 
ferior quality, whatever may be their other merits, are 
wholly unworthy of cultivation for the market. Another 
thing is the selection of varieties that succeed best in the 
locality where they are to be cultivated. A variety that 
succeeds remarkably well in any particular locality should, 
other things being nearly equal, be cultivated largely. 
The Newtown Pippin apple, for instance, is a profitable 
orchard fruit on Long Island and on the Hudson ; but in 
Western New York no system of management would 
make it yield one-fourth as much net j^rofit as the JBaldwin^ 
Northern 8py^ Rhode Island Greening^ or Moxhury 
Musset. Large plantations, for profit, should always be 
made up of well-proved varieties, that have been tested 
in the locality, or one similar, in regard to soil and situa- 
tion. A list of select varieties will be given in a succeed- 
ing and separate part of the work. 

6th. Selection of Trees, — For the farmer's orchard, 
where the ground among the trees is to be cultivated 
mainly with the plow, and occasionally cropped, stand- 
ard trees, with stems four or five feet in hight, will be 
the most eligible, and ought to be^ at the time of planting, 
three or four years old from the bud or graft, well grown, 
with stout, straight, well-proportioned trunks. Low, 
stout trees are always preferable to tall, slender ones. In- 
experienced planters are generally more particular about 
the hight than the diameter of the trunk, but it should 
be just the reverse. If trees are stout, and have good 
roots, a foot in hight is comparatively unimportant, un- 
less to one who wishes to turn cattle into his orchard, and 



THE ORCHARD. 185 

have the heads of liis trees at once out of their way. Few- 
people, however, follow such a practice. In very elevated 
and exposed situations, low trees are to be preferred, as 
the wind does not strike them with such force as it does 
the tall ones. 

7th. Arrangement of the Trees.— The distance between 
the trees in an apple orchard should be thirty feet from 
tree to tree, in all directions. In a very strong and deep 
soil, where the trees attain the largest size, /br^y feet is 
not too much, especially after the first fifteen or twenty 
years. There is a great difference between the sizes that 
different varieties attain, and also in their habits of 
growth. One will attain nearly double the size of another 
within ten years. Some are erect in their habits (as fig. 
3), others spreading (as fig. 5) ; and it will add greatly to 
the symmetry of the j)lantation if the trees of the same 
size and habit of growth be planted together. Varieties 
that ripen about the same time should also be planted 
together, as the maturity can be more easily watched, 
and the fruit gathered with much less inconvenience. 
The largest fruits, being most liable to be blown off, 
should be placed in the least exposed quarter. 

The ordinary arrangement of orchard trees is the 
square or regular form, in rows, the same distance apart, 
and an equal distance between each tree. Thus, in plant- 
ing a square of one hundred feet, for example, the trees 
to be twenty-five feet apart, we commence on one side, 
laying a line the whole length. On this line we measure 
off the distances for the trees, and place a stake, indica- 
ting the point for the tree. Thus, in fig. 96, we have five 
rows of five trees each, making twenty-five in all, and all 
twenty-five feet apart. This is the simplest, and probably 
the best for very small orchards. The better plan for 
large orchards is wliat is called quincunx (fig. 97), in 
which the trees of one row are opposite the spaces in the 
next. In this way, although the trees are at equal dis- 



186 



PERMANENT PLANTATIONS. 



tances, there is a larger clear area around each tree. In 
fig. 96, the square form, every tree stands in the comer 
of a square, in the centre of, and equally distant from, 
four others. In the quincunx, every tree stands in the 
angle of a triangle of equal sides, and in the centre of, 
and equally distant from, six others. Thus, in the latter. 



M- 



1. 



-t- 



J. 



k 



1 


^ 


<i.-"' i "-- 


--4-""" 


'"::lc-"' 


1 "^"-0 


*k"' i "~ 


-4/' 


^""~-k<" 


- 1 ■^----j. 


4-"'" \ '" 


-4,.-- 




1 ""■•;? 



/ 10 20 30 4-0 SO 

I \ ! I I l_ 



iqoFT 



Fig. 96,— SQUARE PLANTING. Fig. 97. — QUINCUNX PLANTING. 

there is a greater space left for the admission of light and 
air, and trees so planted may be at less distance than in 
the other. The operation of planting is more compli- 
cated than that of the square, the rows not being the 
same distance apart as the trees are in the row. The 
first thing to be done is to find the two measures. Sup- 
pose, for instance, we propose to plant a plot of ground 
one hundred feet square, and to have the trees twenty- 
five feet apart every way, we make a triangle of wood, 
A^ JB, D (fig. 97), each side of which is twenty-five feet ; 
we then measure the distance from the angle, JB, to the 
center of the opposite side, at (7, and this gives us the 
distance between the rows, which will be about twenty- 
one feet. This will be called the small measure; and 



THE ORCHARD. 187 

with this we measure off on two sides the distances for 
the rows, and put down a stake at each. We then com- 
mence on the first row, and with the long (twenty-five 
feet) measure mark off the places for the trees, and put 
down a stake to each. The measurements must be made 
with exactness, in order to have the plantation present a 
regular appearance, as in fig. 97. 

8th. Selection of Trees for the Market or Commercial 
Orchard. — The remarks made in reference to the selec- 
tion of standard trees for the family orchard may be 
applied with equal propriety to these ; but the orchardist 
must be supposed to have invested a considerable amount 
of capital, and prol)ably devotes his entire attention to 
his trees, and depends upon them for his support. It is, 
therefore, a great object with him to have early returns 
in the form of products. An orchard of standard apples 
will not produce any considerable quantity of fruit before 
the eighth or tenth year, nor pears before the twelfth or 
fifteenth year. In the mean time it is highly desirable 
to occupy the ground amongst the trees in some way that 
will at least bear the expenses of cultivation. K this 
can be done, it is as much as can be expected in the 
usual practice of cultivating root crops. The most pro- 
fitable manner of turning to account the spaces between 
the standard trees for the first ten or twelve years at 
least, is to plant them with dwarf and pyramidal trees, or 
dwarf standards, that will commence bearing the third or 
fourth year after planting. This is the course pursued by 
the orchardists of France and Belgium, where land is 
valuable, and the cultivators are compelled to turn every 
inch of it to the best account. Attention has been 
slightly called to this mode of management in this 
country, and a few persons have already carried it into 
practice. As soon as it comes to be considered, it cannot 
fail to recommend itself to those who are embarking 
extensively in the orchard culture of fruits for the market, 



188 PERMAXEXT PLANTAnONS. 

on high-priced lands. It is only surprising that it should 
have been so long overlooked by shrewd and enterprising 
orchardists. An acre of land, for example, planted with 
standard apple-trees, at thirty feet apart, contains forty- 
five to fifty ; and if we fill up the spaces with dwarfs 
on Paradise, at six feet apart, leaving ten feet clear around 
each standard, we get in about five hundred dwarf trees. 
These will bear the third year, and during the next five 
years the average value of their products will be at 
least twenty to fifty cents each. *We would plant them 
in such a way that the plow and cultivator could be 




Fig. 98. Fig. 99. 

Fig. 98, orchard of standard and dwarf apple trees. Fig. 99, orchard of standard 
and dwarf or pyramidal pears. 

used among them, two dwarfs between each standard, and 
two full rows between each row of standards, as in fig. 98. 
In ten or twelve years the dwarfs might be taken out, 
and the entire ground given to the standards. 

Orchards of standard pears may^ in the same manner, 
be filled up with dwarf and pyramidal trees on the quince. 



THE ORCHARD. 189 

Standard pears do not require so much space as apples ; 
their branches generally are more erect. In this country- 
standard pears should not have naked trunks over three 
or four feet high, and twenty-five feet apart are quite suf- 
ficient ; at this distance an acre will contain about seventy 
trees. These, as a general tiling, will not begin to bear 
until the tenth year, unless artificial means be resorted to. 
Some early-bearing sorts, like the Bartlett, may com- 
mence bearing much sooner ; but, as a general thing, the 
crop from standard pears is not of much account until 
the trees have attained ten years of age, or thereabouts. 
By putting one dwarf standard between each, in the 
same row, and a row ten feet apart between each row of 
standards, as in fig. 99, we can plant 250 dwarfs or pyra- 
mids, that will commence bearing the third year, and will 
be in full bearing the fifth, yielding not less, on an aver- 
age, than 11 to $2 per tree. 

In selecting varieties of pears for profitable orchard 
culture on the quince, those only should be chosen which 
have been well proved on that stock, and also in the lo- 
cality, or a similar one, and that are popular in market. 
Mr. Quinn, in his book " Pear Culture for Profit," states 
that the Duchesse d'Angouleme is almost the only one 
really profitable in his soil, in New Jersey. 

The following sorts succeed well on the quince, and are 
profitably grown here : Louise Bonne de Jersey, Duchesse 
d''Angoultme, Beurre d^AnJou, Howell, Josephine de 
Malines, Vicar of WinJc/leld, to which I might add many 
others. 

Beach trees should be only one year old from the bud, 
and set at a distance of about fifteen feet. At this dis- 
tance the trees soon grow to afi'ord each other considera- 
ble shelter. Mr. W. C. Flagg, of Alton, 111., an orchard- 
ist of experience, writes in Tilton's Magazine, Novem- 
ber, 1869, that he plants his large peach orchards in 
squares of 100 trees, at sixteen and a half feet apart each 



190 PERMANENT PLANTATIONS. 

way. Each square is composed wholly of one sort, for con- 
venience in gathering the fruit. Each square is separated 
from the next by a double space, or two rods. Mr. Flagg 
objects to mixed orchards, as of apples and peaches, on 
account of certain difficulties of cultivation. There may 
be some force in his objection in his locality, but, accord- 
ing to my experience, there is none at the East. Where 
land is cheap, there is nothing gained by mixing. Where 
land is worth from $200 to $500 per acre, the case is quite 
different. 

Standard cherries^ on Mazzard stocks, should not be 
oyer two years old from the bud, with stems three or four 
feet high. In the West and South, where the trees are 
subject to the bursting of the bark on the trunk, it is ad- 
visable to have the trees branched as near the ground as 
possible ; and in such cases the Mahaleh stock is better 
than the Mazzard, as it makes lower, more compact, and 
fertile trees. Orchards of pyramids, or low dwarfs, on 
the Mahal eb, may be planted at twelve feet apart, or the 
ground may be more compactly filled by planting stand- 
ards and dwarfs alternately, as in the case of the pears. 
Cherries, on the Mahaleb, I would prefer to be only one year 
from the bud, and, indeed, this is my choice on any stock. 

Apricots^ on peach stocks, may be planted in the same 
soil, and should be of the same age and character as the 
peaches. On plum stocks they are better adapted to 
heavy soils. 

Plum-trees^ for orchard standards, should be about two 
years old from the bud or graft, with stems about three 
feet high. The stone fruits, in particular, should have 
low stems, as they are more subject to the gum on the 
trunk if pruned up high. They may be planted at fif- 
teen feet apart, the same as peaches and apricots. Quinces 
should be two years old, at least, and may be three from 
the layer, cutting, or bud ; they may be planted twelve 
feet apart, which gives about 300 to the acre. 



THE ORCHARD. - 191 

9th. Pruning and Preparing the Trees for Planting. — 
When a tree is taken up from the nursery, it unavoida- 
bly loses some of its roots, and others are more or less 
mutilated ; the roots frequently suffer by long carriage or 
exposure, and in this state it is unable to support the 
entire head as it came from the nursery. This has been 
previously explained. In order that a tree may grow, it 
is necessary that a balance should exist between the stem 
or branches, and the root ; consequently, when a tree is 
transplanted, its branches should be reduced by shorten- 
ing so as to correspond with the roots. A standard tree, 
that has four or five branches forming a head, should be 
pruned, at the time of planting, to within three or four 
buds of the base of each of the branches. These remain- 
ing buds, receiving all the nourishment, will push vigor- 
ously, whilst, if the branches had been allowed to remain 
entire, they would have required a greater supply of food 
than. the roots could have furnished, and the tree would 
either have died or made a very feeble growth. Every 
bud we leave on the top of a tree will produce either 
leaves or shoots, and these are so many new individuals 
requiring sustenance. If we leave one hundred, it is 
plain the demand will be much greater than if we leave 
only twenty. The roots must be dressed by cutting back 
all bruised points to the sound wood, with a smooth cut 
on the under side of the root. Trees thus prepared are 
ready for planting. 

10th. Plaguing Orchards. — ^When the soil has been 
thoroughly prepared by subsoil plowing, or trenching the 
season previous, the planting is a simple matter ; but if this 
has not been done, planting properly requires considerable 
labor ; for large holes, three or four feet wide, and one and a 
half to two feet deep, must be dug for the trees, and the re- 
quisite composts procured to be mixed with the earth in 
which the roots are to be placed. The planting offers an ex- 
cellent opportunity for supplying any defects in the soil ; 



192 PERMANENT PLANTATIONS. 

for instance, if too compact, sand, leaf mould, muck, etG., 
may be added, to render it more porous ; and if too light, 
clay, stiff loam, ashes, etc., may be added, to make it more 
retentive. The jDroper way to furnish these materials is 
to dig large holes, and put a good bed, twelve to eighteen 
inches deep, of the compost in the bottom under the trees. 
Lime should form a part of all composts, and especially 
for the apple and pear ; half a peck may be mixed with 
the bed of each tree in soil not naturally calcareous. In 
digging the holes, the good surface soil should be laid on 
one side, so that it can be used to fill in among the roots, 
and for this purpose it should be as finely pulverized as 
possible. In a soil adapted to fruit culture, if in a good 
state of fertility, there is no necessity for either large 
holes or compost. Our mode of j^lanting is simply to 
prepare the land by a thorough plowing, and then dig the 
holes just deep and wide enough to admit the roots, using 
neither manure nor compost. 

When the compost has been laid in the bottom of the 
hole, and a layer of fine surface soil spread over it, so as 
to be highest in the center, the tree is set on it, so that 
when the planting is finished, the collar will be about two 
inches below the surface. In the case of trees on dwarf 
stocks, such as pears on quince, all the stock must be under 
the ground. The roots must be carefully adjusted, so that 
each one is spread out in its natural position ; the fine 
earth is then filled in amongst them, so that no vacancies 
will be left ; the upper roots should be held back by the 
person who holds the tree until the lower ones are covered. 
When the filling-in is half done, it may be gently trodden 
down with the foot, so as to give the tree a firmer hold 
of the ground ; and when the filling-in of earth on the 
roots is finished, tread down firmly. In advanced spring 
planting, a pail of water might be given to each tree 
when the earth is partly filled in ; at other times it is un- 
necessary, if not injurious. 



THE ORCHARD. 193 

11th. StaJcing. — Where the trees are large, or the situ- 
ation is exposed, either one or two stakes should be plant- 
ed with each tree, to which it must be kept fastened for 
the first season, until the roots have fixed themselves in 
the ground. A proper provision must be made to pre- 
vent the tree from rubbing or chafing against the stake. 
When two stakes are used, it may be fastened to each in 
such a way as not to rub against either. 

12th. Mulching. — This should be looked upon as an 
indispensable operation in all cases. It consists in laying 
on the surface of the ground, around the trees, to the dis- 
tance of three feet or so, a covering two or three inches 
deep of half-decomposed manure, short straw, hay, etc., 
or litter of any kind, that may be at hand. This prevents 
the moi>;ture of the soil from evaporating, and maintains 
a uniformity of heat and moisture w^hich is highly favor- 
able to the formation of new roots. It also prevents the 
growth of weeds around the tree, and obviates the ne- 
cessity of hoeing, dressing, or watering, during the season. 
We frequently practise it among nursery rows of late, 
spring-planted trees with great advantage. A deep 
mulching should always be given to fall-planted trees, to 
prevent the frost from penetrating to the roots or draw- 
ing up the tree. 

13th. After-management of Orchard Trees. — This con- 
sists in the cultivation of the soil among the trees, and 
pruning them to regulate their growth. For the first five 
or six years after planting, the ground among orchard 
trees may be advantageously cropped with potatoes, ruta- 
bagas, or sugar beets. The manuring and culture that 
these roots require keep the soil in good condition, and 
will assist in defraying the expenses of the orchard. 
Grain crops should never be planted among trees, as they 
deprive them of air to a very injurious extent. If no 
root crops are cultivated, the ground should be kept clean 
and mellow with the one-horse plow and cultivator, the 
9 



194 PERMANENT PLANTATIONS. 

same as recommended for nursery culture. Every third 
or fourth year, or when their growth indicates the need 
of it, the trees should receive a dressing of well-decom- 
posed manure or compost, spread on the surface of the 
ground, over the roots, or partially worked in with a fork. 
This should always be done in the fall. Dwarf apples 
and pears require more frequent and liberal manuring 
than standards, because their roots occupy a limited 
space ; their heads are large compared with the roots, 
and they bear exhausting crops. Whoever has a large 
plantation of these trees should be well provided with 
heaps of compost, a year old, and give each tree a peck 
to half a bushel every year before the setting in of win- 
ter. This will maintain their vigor, and insure large 
and regular crops of fine fruit. Directions for pruning 
and forming the heads of standard trees will be treated 
of under the general head of pruning. A good way of 
renewing the soil where manure cannot be had is to sow 
peas, and when they are grown just to blossom, plow 
them under. 

There are those who advocate seeding orchards with 
some of the finer grasses, such as are used for lawns, and 
keeping it cut short. The advantage claimed is, that it 
protects the roots from excessive heat in the summer. I 
think this may answer tolerably well for the apple, but 
for all others, and even for that, I should prefer a mulch- 
ing of straw, hay, or some sort of litter, during the great- 
est heat of summer. At the North we do not even need 
this. 

In some parts of the West and South, where the pear 
suffers from leaf blight, mulching during the warm sea- 
son is a necessity, and will, I am sure, prove far more 
beneficial than grass, no matter how short it may be kept. 



the fruit garden. 195 

Section 3. — Tfie Fruit Garden. 

The fruit garden is a plantation of fruit-trees, intended 
to supply the family with fruit. In some cases, where a 
large supply of fruit is wanted, and the proprietor has 
land and. means to warrant it, a certain portion of ground 
is wholly devoted to it ; and in others it forms a separate 
compartment of the kitchen garden, or is mixed with it — 
the fruit-trees occupying the borders, or outsides of the 
compartments, and the culinary vegetables the interior. 
The latter is most general, in this country, at the present 
time. In a country like ours, so well adapted to fruit 
culture, where almost every citizen not only occupies but 
owns a garden, and, as a general thing, possesses suffi- 
cient means to enable him to devote it to the culture of 
the higher and better class of garden productions, the 
fruit garden is destined to be, if it is not already, an ob- 
ject of great importance. In the old countries of Europe, 
the rich alone, or those comparatively so, are permitted 
to enjoy such luxury ; for land is so dear that working 
people are unable to purchase it, and if they are, they are 
either unable to stock it with trees, or their necessities 
compel them to devote it to the production of the 
coarsest articles of vegetable food that can be produced 
in the greatest bulk. It is not so in America. Here 
every industrious man, at the age of five-and-twenty, 
whatever may be his pursuits, may, if he choose, be 
the proprietor of a garden of some extent, and possess 
sufficient means to stock it with the finest fruits of the land. 

The present actual state of the population gives abun- 
dant evidence of this happy and prosperous condition. 
Let us look at our cities and villages. In Rochester, 
excepting a narrow circle in its very center, every house 
has its garden, varying in extent from twenty-five by one 
hundred feet to an acre of ground, and not one of these 
but is nearly filled with fruit-trees; and so it is, but on a 



196 PERMANENT PLANTATIOXS. 

larger scale, in all the villages of Western New York — 
a section of country in wliich the first white man's settle- 
ment can scarcely date buck over sixty years. Aside 
from the beneficial results to individual and public health 
and prosperity from this general union of the fruit garden 
and the dwelling, it cannot fail to exercise a softening 
and refining influence on the tastes, habits, and manners 
of the people, and greatly strengthen their love of home 
and country. 

The great thing wanting at this moment is a knowledge 
of the correct method of planting and managing fruit 
gardens. We cannot pass along the streets a rod, where 
there is a garden, without seeing and feeling that three- 
fourths of the profit and pleasure which gardens might 
afibrd, are sacrificed to bad management, arising, in the 
main, from ignorance of the proper modes of culture 
adapted to such limited grounds ; and it is hoped that 
the suggestions and plans offered in the following detail 
of fruit-garden management may afford at least a portion 
of the information wanted. 

The formation of a fruit garden reqidres a considera- 
tion of the soil^ situation, inclosures, laying out, selection 
of trees, selection of varieties, and pla7iting. 

1st. llie Situation. — This is generally governed by the 
particular circumstances of the proprietor, those only 
who build with reference to the location of the garden, or 
who have a large domain at their disposal, having an 
opportunity of selection to any considerable extent. Per- 
sons who live in cities and villages have to make the 
best of their situation. As it is, if it be exposed, they 
can only give it protection by lofty inclosures, that will 
break the force of the winds. The aspect they cannot 
alter, and must adapt other circumstances to it. Those 
who can should select a situation convenient enough to 
the dwelling to render it at all times easy of access, in 
order to save time and labor in o^oimr to and from it. It 



THE FRUIT GARDENS". 197 

should also be sheltered from the norlh and west winds. 
The former are destructive to the blossoms in spring, 
and tlie latter frequently blow off the fruit before its 
matuiity. In sections of the country subject to late 
spring frosts, an elevated situation is to be preferred, as 
in the case of orchards. A full eastern or southern aspect 
should be avoided, because in both the sun's rays strike 
the trees while the frost is upon them, and produce in- 
juries that would be avoided in other aspects. Where 
artificial shelter is required, a belt of rapid-growing trees, 
composed of evergreens and deciduous trees mixed, should 
be planted on the exposed side, but at such a distance as 
to obviate any difiiculty that might arise from the injuri- 
ous effects of shade, or from the roots entering the gar- 
den. Such a belt of trees might, at the same time, be 
made to impart a pleasing and highly ornamental appear- 
ance to the grounds. 

2d. The Soil is a most important consideration. As in 
a garden a general collection of all the fruits is to be 
grown, and that in the highest state of perfection, the 
soil should be of that character in its texture, depth, and 
quality, best adapted to general purposes. It should not 
only be suitable for the npple and the pear, but for the 
peach, the cherry, and the plum — a good, deep, friable 
loam, with a gravelly clay subsoil, and entirely free from 
stagnant moisture. In this country, our warm summers 
and frequent, protracted drouths render a deep soil for 
a garden absolutely necessary. The means for deepening, 
drying, improving, and changing the character of soils 
have been already pointed out under the general head of 
Soils, and need not be repeated here. Suffice it to say, 
that it will always be found true economy to be liberal in 
the first preparation of the soil; for after a garden is laid 
out and permanently planted, improvements are always 
made with greater difficulty and expense. 

Inclosures. — The cheapest and most ordinary kind of 



198 PERMANENT PLANTATIOXS. 

inclosure for gardens, in this country, is the tight board 
fence, and the picket or paling fence. The former should 
be made of stout cedar posts, set at six feet apart and 
three or four feet in the ground, the ends being previously- 
charred, or covered with hot gas-tar, to increase their 
durability, connected in the middle and on the top with 
cross-bars, or rails, which may be two by four inches. 
The boards should be well seasoned, matched, and se- 
curely nailed to the cross-bars. Where the fence is 
required to be higher than the posts, tlie boards can ex- 
tend above the top rail two, three, or even four feet, if 
necessary. The picket or paling fence is made in the 
same way, as far as the framework, posts, and cross-bars 
go ; but, instead of matched boards, pickets, from three 
to six inches wide, and pointed on the top, are used, and 
a space of two inches left between each. Where the pro- 
prietor can afford the expense of a brick or stone wall, it 
will prove the most permanent, and, in the end, the cheap- 
est inclosure. The hight of the fence or wall depends 
somewhat on the extent of the garden. In ordinary cases, 
eight or ten feet are the proper hight, but when the gar- 
den is very small, five or six feet are enough ; and the open 
paling will be preferable^ except on the north side, to the 
tight board fence, as it offers less obstruction to the air 
and light. A high fence around a very small garden, be- 
sides being injurious to vegetation in it, looks quite out 
of character, giving to it the appearance of a huge box. 
Live hedges, as recommended for orchards, might be 
employed around country gardens of considerable extent, 
say an acre or upwards, but they require to be kept in the 
neatest possible condition. 

Trellises. — In England, and other parts of Europe, 
where the summer temperature is not so high as it is here, 
espalier trees are trained directly on the garden walls or 
fence ; but our hot sun renders this unsafe, except in the 
case of the grape, or on the north sides of the walls. The 



THE FRUIT GARDEN. 199 

sun strikes the south side of a fence with such force that 
the foliage in contact with it is burned. It is therefore 
necessary, where the walls or fences are to be occupied 
wiih espaliers, to erect suitable trellises at the distance of 
six to twelve inches from them, on which to train the 
trees. The form of these differs according to the nature 
of the subject to be trained. They are generally made of 
upright and cross-bars, of inch boards, three inches wide, 
placed within six to twelve inches of each other, accord- 
ing to the gro^vth of the species ; the larger the foliage 
and the longer the shoots, the greater maybe the dis- 
tances ; thus, the grape twelve inches, and the peach 
eight. Sometimes they are constructed of wooden bars 
and wire rods alternately ; these answer a good purpose 
for the grape, as it fixes itself to the wires by the tendrils. 
The trellis is fastened to the wall by iron hooks, and 
should stand a little farther from it at the bottom than at 
the top, for the purpose of giving the tree a better ex- 
posure to the sun, rain, etc. Fruits are grown so suc- 
cessfully in this country in the open ground that walls or 
trellises are seldom used, except to economize space. In 
the North, however, where the more tender fruits do not 
succeed in the open ground, walls may be advantageously 
employed, as the trees trained on them are easily pro- 
tected both from winter and spring frosts. 

Laying Out the Fndt Garden. — This is the arrange- 
ment or distribution of the ground into suitable plots or 
compartments, necessary walks, etc. The mode of doing 
this <lepen<ls on the size of the garden, and the manner in 
which it is to be planted. Fruit gardens, properly spenk- 
ing, are such as are wholly devoted to fruits ; but a very 
common form, as has been already observed, is the 7nixed 
garden, where a portion only is devoted to fruits, and the 
remainder to culinary vegetables. "We will first consider 

The Fruit Garden proper. — In all fruit gardens the 
number of walks should be no greater than is absolutely 



200 



Pi:KMANENT PLANTATIONS. 



necessary for convenience. 



In small places, the better 
plan appears to 
be to carry the 
principal walk 
around the out- 
side, leaving as 
much as possible 
of the interior, 
where air and 
light are enjoyed 
to the greatest 
extent, for the 
trees. A border 
should be left be- 
tween the fence 
and the walk, of 
sufficient width 
for the trees to 
be trained on the 
fence trellis. If 
appearances were 
to be strictly ob- 
served, this bor- 
der should be as 
wide as the fence 
is high, but, as 
a general, thing, 
five to six feet 
will be sufficient ; 
and where 
ground is limited, appearance must, in many cases, be 
sacrified to economy. Where the work is all performed 
by manual labor, the walks need not be more than five 
to six feet wide, as that admits of the passage of a wheel- 
barrow, and this is all that is required. 

Fig. 100 is a design for a very small garden, fifty feet by 




Fi^. 100. — PLAN OP A SMALL FRUIT GARDEN, 



THE FRUIT GARDEN. 201 

one hundred. A is the entrance gate, four feet wide ; 
J^, JB, a walk, five feet wide ; C\ (7, fence border, six feet 
wide. The rows of trees are eight feet npart. The pyram- 
idal pears and cherries, Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4, at seven feet 
apart in the row. Nos. 5 and G, dwarf apples, at four 
feet apart. ISTo. 7, pyramidal or dwarf standard plums, 
at seven feet. ISTos. 8, 9, and 10, low standard peaches, 
at ten feet apart, the outside ones four feet from the walk. 
Nos. 11, 12, 13, and 14, low standard quinces, etc. Nos. 
15, 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20, espaliers, apricots, grapes, etc. 
One border is filled with gooseberries and currants, the 
other can be occupied with raspberries and strawberries. 
This arrangement gives in this little garden twenty pyram- 
idal trees, thirteen standards, twelve dwarfs, six espal- 
iers, besides space enough for two dozen currants, two 
dozen gooseberries, two dozen raspberries, etc. For sev- 
eral years a few strawberries and low vegetables, such as 
lettuces, radishes, beets, carrots, turnips, or even dwarf 
pca«, may be grown in the spaces among the trees, but in 
no case to be permitted nearer than within three feet of 
a tree. In regard to distance between trees, my ex- 
perience is, that where a good crop is of more importance 
than a great variety, dwarf and pyramidal trees of the 
pear, plum, cherry, peach, apricot, nectarine, and quince, 
should have ten to twelve feet. This distance would re- 
duce the number of trees in the plan (fig. 100). 

The mixed, or fruit and Jcitchen garden, is laid out in 
a similar manner. The trees are planted in rows, on a bor- 
der six to ten feet wide, according to the size of the trees, 
along the walks, leaving the interior of the compartments 
for vegetables. This arrangement is a very common one, 
and generally answers a very good purpose ; but where 
it is practicable, it ia. much better to devote a separate 
portion exclusively to fruit, in order that the one may not 
in any way interfere with the other. In such a garden, 
the immber of the walks, and consequently fruit borders, 
9* 



202 PERMANENT PLANTATIONS. 

will depend upon the proportion of the ground intended 
to be allotted to fruit ; and this again will be regulated by 
the means, taste, and demands of the family. 

Tlie frontispiece of this work gives the plan of a mixed 
fruit and kitchen garden, one Iiundred and fifty feet wide 
by two hundred long, being one hundred and ten square 
rods ; somewhat less than three-quarters of an acre. The 
design is to have two tree borders exclusive of the outside 
or fence border. The center main walk, from A to (7, is 
ten feet wide. That crossing it in the center, six feet 
wide. The small walk, next the fence border, four feet 
wide, and that between the two tree borders, five feet. 
The fence border is six feet wide, and may be planted 
with espalier trees, vines, etc., besides currants, raspber- 
ries, strawberries, or anything of low growth, not requir- 
ing the fullest exposure. The tree borders are all eight 
feet wide, except the dwarf-apple border, which is only 
six. The outside border is planted on the two sides with 
low standard or pyramidal peaches, apricots, plums, 
quinces, etc., at twelve feet apart, and the two ends with 
pyramids, at eight feet. 

The inside borders are planted with pyramids and 
dwarfs, the former at eight, and the latter at six feet 
apart. -4, is the entrance ; JB^ well or cistern ; 6^, a space 
to turn a horse and cart upon. This arrangement gives 
thirty standard trees, eighty-three pyramids, and forty 
dwarfs, leaving clear the outside border, over six hundred 
and sixty feet long, and six wide, and the four interior 
compartments, each about thirty by sixty feet. In crop- 
ping the latter with vegetables, they may be divided, as 
in the design, into narrow beds, three or four feet wide, 
separated by paths, eighteen inches wide. In gardens of 
greater extent, it will be well to increase the distance be- 
tween the trees. 

'Wal7i:s in the Fruit Garden. — The number of these, as 
has been remarked, should be simply sufficient for con- 



THE FRUIT GARDEN. 203 

ducting the operations of gardening with convenience ; 
this being provided for, the fewer the better. Where 
horse labor is eniployed, the main walk, either through 
the center oi- around the sides, should be nine or ten feet 
wide. Where manual labor alone is employed, as in 
small gardens, five or six feet will be sufficient, and even 
four feet, as that admits of the passage of a wheelbarrow. 
Between each compartment, or line of trees, there should 
also be a path, two or three feet wide, as a passage for 
the gardener or workmen, and others who may desire to 
inspect the trees. Where the expense can be afforded, 
the main walks should be gravelled, so as to be dry and 
comfortable at all seasons, and in every state of the wea- 
ther ; for it is presumed that every man who has a fruit 
garden, worthy of the name, will wish to visit it almost 
daily, and so will the members of his family and his 
friends who visit him. The labor and expense of making 
a walk depends upon the nature of the soil. If dry, 
with a porous subsoil, absorbing water rapidly, six 
inches of good pit gravel, slightly rounded on the top, 
will be sufficient. If the soil be damp and the subsoil 
compact, it will be necessary to remove the earth to the 
depth of a foot in the center, and rising towards the sides, 
so that the excavation will resemble a semicircle ; this is 
filled with small stones, and a few inches of good pit 
gravel on the top. This makes a walk dry at all times. 
We often see very comfortable and neat-looking walks 
made of spent bark from the tannery; six inches deep of 
this will last two or three years, and no excavation is 
necessary in any kind of soil. It is not to be supposed 
that so great expense will be incurred, in any case, in the 
formation of the walks of a fruit or kitchen garden, as 
those of a pleasure ground or flower garden, and there- 
fore it is unnecessary to suggest either costly modes or 
materials. The chief point is to secure dry, comfortable 
walking, without introducing any material that will 



204 PEKMAISTENT PLANTATIONS. 

produce a decidedly unpleasant contrast with vegetation. 
This can all be accomplished by the cheap and simple 
means referred to, and others that may suggest them- 
selves. 

The main walks alone should be gravelled ; the smaller 
alleys, or paths, between the different lines of trees or com- 
partments of the garden, are principally for the use of the 
workmen. In very small gardens, where it is important 
to economize the ground, the spaces devoted to the walks 
may be of plank, raised on pillars or blocks a foot from 
the ground ; the roots of trees can then penetrate the 
ground below the walk as well as the border, and scarce 
any ground will be lost. 

Water. — A supply of water in the garden is a most 
important consideration in our warm, dry, sunny climate. 
Good crops of culinary vegetables cannot be secured in 
many seasons without a liberal application of water ; and 
fruit-trees are greatly benefited by frequent showering, 
especially in dry weather. It refreshes them and drives 
away insects. A good well or cistern should therefore 
be provided in every garden, and be situated as near the 
center as possible, to be convenient to all parts. 

SELECTION OF TREES. 

Their Form. — We start upon the principle that, in 
all cases, tall standard trees, such as are usually planted 
in orchards, are totally unfit for the garden. This is the 
chief defect in American fruit gardening. All the ti*ees 
for a fruit garden should be either dwarf standards^ Avith 
trunks two to three feet high, ^^/ram^W5, branched from 
the ground, or hushes., with stems six to twelve inches 
high. Trees in these forms are, in the first place, in keep- 
ing with the limited extent of the garden, and convey, at 
first sight, the idea of fitness. In the second place, they 
give a great variety on a small space, for three or four 



THE FRUIT GARDEN. 205 

such trees will not occupy more space than one standard. 
In the third place, they are in a convenient form for man- 
agement ; they are easily pruned or protected, and the 
fruit is easily gathered, and less likely to be blown off 




Fig. 101.— PTKAMIDAL APPLE-TREE. 

than on tall trees. Finally, they bear several years sooner 
than standards. 

Among the forms mentioned, the pyramid is certainly 
the most beautiful; and in the best fruit gardening 
regions of Europe, where almost every conceivable form 
of tree has been tried, it is to-day the most popular. 



206 PERMANENT PLANTATIONS. 

because it has proved the most advantageous and success- 
ful. The apple for pyramids (fig. 101) should be on the 
Doucin stock. Certain varieties, such as the Hawthorn- 
den, Keswick Codlm^ Summer Hose, Duchess of Oldeiir 
hurg, and many other moderate growers and early bearers, 
will make good pyramids on free stocks, but they will 
require more summer pruning and careful management to 
keep their vigor under check than they would on the 
Doucin. But apples for the fruit garden, even on the 




Fig. 103. — DWARF BUSH APPLE-TSEE. 

Doucin, should be such as naturally make small trees, and 
are inclined to early bearing. In these respects, it is very 
well known there is a wide difference between varieties. 
Those mentioned above, and others similar in character, 
frequently bear, on free stocks in the nursery rows, at the 
age of three or four years from the bud, whilst others do 
not bear until eight or ton years old. This is a point that 
should always be regarded in selecting garden trees ; for 
it is the natural and proper desire of every one who 
plants a tree in the garden to obtain fruit from it as early 
as possible. 



THE FRUIT GARDEN. 207 

Tlie Apple for Dwarfs. — The apple, worked 0:1 tlie 
Paradise, makes a beautiful little dw arf bush. We know 
of nothing more interesting in the fruit garden than a 
row or a little square of these miniature apple-trees (fig. 
102), either in blossom or in fruit. Those who have not 
seen them may imagine an apple-tree, four feet high, and 
the same in width of branches, covered with blossoms in 
the spring, or loaded with magnificent golden and crim- 
son fruit in the autumn. They begin to bear the third 
year from the bud, and the same variety is always larger 
and finer on them than on standards. We have had JRed 
Astrachans on Paradise that measured eleven inches in 
circumference. The French plant a square or compart- 
ment of these in the kitchen or fruit garden, as they do 
gooseberries and currants, six feet apart ; they also alter- 
nate them with pyramidal pear-trees, in rows; and in 
some of the best mixed kitchen and fruit gardens two 
dwarf apples are planted between two pyramidal pears, 
thus giving double the number of apples as of the pears 
in a border or row. In small gardens, the apple should 
not be admitted under any other form, and even to a 
limited extent in that ; for it is the great fruit of the 
orchard., and in nearly all parts of this country extensive- 
ly grown, and can be purchased at very moderate rates. 

Dwarf Apple trained 171 Horizontal Cordon. — In Eu- 




Fig. 103,— APPLE CORDOK (Single). 

ropean gardens, the dwarf apple is frequently trained 
on what are called " horizontal cordons " along the walk 
borders, and are very pretty objects. 

The cordon, as the drawing (fig. 103) shows, consists 



208 



PERMANENT PLANTATIONS. 



of single steins, or arms, trained horizontally on a wire or 
wooden rail, about ten or twelve inches from the ground. 




Fig-. 104.— APPLE CORDON (Doiiblc). 

TMs stem, or cordon, is kept furnislied with fruit spurs, and 
produces fruit on its entire length. The cordon may be either 
single or double. The single consists of a single stem, or 

arm, and the double 
of a pair of arms, 
one trained to each 
side, as in fig. 104. 
The Pear as a 
Pyramid (fig. 105). 
— ^The pear is emi- 
nently the tree for 
the pyramidal form, 
either on the free 
stock or on the 
quince. On the lat- 
ter, however, the 
trees bear much ear- 
lier, are more pro- 
lific, more manage- 
able, and conse- 
quently preferable 
for small gardens. 
On the pear stock 
they require con- 
stant summer prun- 
ing and pinching, 




Fig. 105.— PYRAMIDAL PEAR-TREE. 

7 feet liigh ; 4 feet wide at the base. 



and, in some cases, 



THE FRUIT GARDEN. 209 

root priming, to subdue the natural vigor, and induce 
early fruitfulness. Certain varieties, however, do not 
succeed on the quince, but a large number of melting 
varieties do, and produce larger and finer fruit on it 
than on the free stock. The tardiness of bearing of 
the pear-tree, when grown in the ordinary standard 
form, on pear stock, has, more than any other cause, 
retarded its general cultivation. No better proof of 
this can be adduced than the general partiality now 
shown for trees on quince stocks that bear at the age of 
three or four years. The introduction of these trees, a 
few years ago, was really the first thing that gave a gen- 
eral impulse to pear-tree planting. With most people, it 
is a very important thing to obtain fruit in two or three 
years, instead of waiting eight or ten. The best man- 
agement of trees on free stocks cannot bring them into a 
bearing state short of six or seven years, unless it be 
some remarkably precocious variety. People, therefore, 
who wish pear-trees for pyramids that are easily man- 
aged, and will bear early, will select them on quince 
stocks, in case the varieties they wish to cultivate have 
been proved to succeed well on it. 

The Cherry is as easily managed in the pyramidal form 
as the pear — not only the free-growing sorts, Hearts and 
Bigarreaus, but the Dukes and Morellos ; the latter, 
however, are less vigorous, and more easily managed. 
All should be worked on the Mahaleb stock ; this has, to 
some extent, the same effect on the cherry as the quince 
has on the pear. After the second or third year's growth, 
it subdues their vigor, and induces fruitfulness. The 
Dukes and Morellos should be chosen where very small 
trees are desirable. 

The Plum as a Pyramid. — The plum has rarely been 
cultivated as a pyramid, but recent experiments prove 
that it is quite susceptible of that form under proper 
management. It should be worked on a stock calculated 



210 PERMANENT PLANTATIONS. 

to subdue its natural vigor. The native, or Canada plum, 
and the Myrobolan, or Cherry plum, arc suitable. Sum- 
mer pruning and pinching, as well as occasional root 
pruning, are all necessary to clieck the vigor of most 
kinds, and keep them in suitable dimensions for small 
gardens where it is necessary to plant them close. Our 
specimen plum orchard consists entirely of dwarf stand- 
ard and pyramidal trees, planted in rows, ten feet apart, 
and eight feet apart in the row. They were planted Ronic 
twelve or fifteen years ago, and are now models of beauty 
and productiveness — that, too, witliout any summer 
pruning, root pruning, or j^inching. 

Tlic Plum as a Dvmrf Standard. — Besides the pyra- 
mid, this is the only form in which the plum should be 
admitted into the garden. The dwarf standard, with a 
trunk two or three feet in hight, and a symmetrical, 
round head, is a very pretty and appropriate form, and 
requires less skill and care in the management than the 
pyramid ; and with proper care, the trees require but 
little, if any, more space. 

The Peach. — The best garden form for the peach in 
this country, generally, is that of the dwarf standard^ 
with a trunk eighteen inches to two feet. With proper 
management, which will hereafter be described, this form 
is easily conducted, even when the trees are on peach 
stocks. The plum stock, and especially the sorts recom- 
mended for dwarf plums, give trees that are less vigor- 
ous, and more easily kept in a small space. In most parts 
of our country, the fruit ripens perfectly in the open 
ground, so that espalier or oblique cordon training, as has 
been remarked, is seldom practised, unless to save ground, 
or in northern localities, where protection of the buds 
during winter, or of the blossoms in the spring, is neces- 
sary. In such cases alone are espaliers to be recommended, 
as they require much greater care in pruning and train- 
ing than any other form. Espalier trees are of various 



THE FRUIT GARDEN. 211 

forms, but the fan^ as it is termed, is the best adapted to 
the peach. It consists of two main branches or divisions 
of the stem, spread out in the form of a V ; eacli of these 
bears a certain number, as many as may be necessary 
to fill the trellis, of secondary branches, and these furnish 
the bearing wood. The production and management of 
this and other espalier forms will be treated fully under 
the head of pruning and training. 

The Apricot and N'ectarine. — The remarks applied to 
the peach apply with equal force to both these trees ; 
they succeed equally well as low standards or as espal- 
iers or cordons. The apricot is more generally grown in 
these forms than any other tree, because its early blossoms 
are so easily protected, and the curculio does not appear 
to be so troublesome to it as in the standard form. 

The Quince^ in the garden, should either be a dwarf 
bush, with a stem twelve to eighteen inches high, and a 
compact, symmetrical head, or a pyramid. In the latter 
form it is quite easily trained, but requires more care, 
of course, than as a bush, as the upper part of the tree 
must always be kept subordinate to the lower, and this 
requires regular and constant attention. No fruit tree 
is more neglected than the quince, and yet it is a profita- 
ble and most beautiful tree, either in blossom or fruit. 
It well repays the care required to keep it in proper 
shape. 

Tlie Filbert. — The remarks on the quince may be ap- 
plied with equal propriety to the filbert, as regards form. 
The hush^ branched from the ground, and the loio stand- 
ards^ with two-foot stems, are the ordinary forms ; but in 
some of the French gardens it is conducted with great 
success as a pyramid. 

These are the principal trees of which it is necessary 
to speak in regard to form. Other species will be referred 
to under the head of Pruning. Having now pointed out 
the most eligible forms for garden trees, and their respec- 



212 PERMAXENT PLANTATIOXS. 

tive advantages, planters will be able to make a choice 
adapted to their tastes and circumstances. Those who do 
not employ a professional gardener, and who have but a 
small portion of sj^are time to devote to their garden, 
should by all means adopt such forms for their trees as 
require the least skill and labor, provided always that it 
be a2:>propriate to the size of the garden, and consistent 
with good management. 

The next point to be considered is, 

The Age of the Trees. — This will depend very much on 
circumstances. For pyramidal trees it is yet difficult, al- 
most impossible, to obtain in the nurseries specimens of 
more than one year's growth that are suitable. The 
yearlings are never sufficiently cut back, nor the branches 
of the second and third years so managed as to have the 
requisite proportion of length and vigor to fit them for 
being moulded, with any ordinary treatment, into a per- 
fectly pyramidal form. If suitable trees cannot be found 
of two or three years from the bud or graft, vigorous 
yearlings, worked at the ground, should be chosen, as 
they are in a condition to take easily nny required form ; 
and though fruit may not be soon obtained from them, 
yet they will, in the end, be much more satisfactory; for, 
unloss a right beginning be made in the training of a tree 
in any form more or less artificial, no art can afterwards 
completely correct the errors. If we take a two or three 
year old tree, managed in the nursery, as usual, with a 
naked trunk, two to two and a half feet from the ground, 
and a branching head, or, what is nearly as bad, a few 
weak side branches below, overrun with strong ones 
above, the most severe process will be necessary, in order 
to produce lateral branches in the proper place ; and tlms 
as much time will be lost as would bring forward a yearling, 
and the tree will not be so perfectly formed, nor in any 
respect so satisfactory. The general impatience that ex- 
ists in regard to the growth and bearing of trees is the 



THE FRUIT GAKDEN. 213 

great cause of this defective character when talven fiom 
the nursery. The nurseryman is averse to cutting back his 
trees, as they lose a year in hight ; and planters or pur- 
chasers are not generally discriminating enougli to be will- 
ing to pay him a proportionate price. He finds tall trees 
more attractive. When planters do get these trees, they 
cannot be psrsuaded to cut them down; they wish to ob- 
tain fruit as soon as possible, and therefore the tree is al- 
lowed to proceed in the defective form it assumed at the 
nursery. 

For Dwarfs and Dwarf Standards^ it is less difficult to 
obtain the right sort of trees, for this is the form that nur- 
sery trees that have not been cut back, ordinarily assume. 
Those, therefore, who prefer such trees can always be sup- 
plied with them well advanced, even in a bearing state, if 
so desired. As in the pyramid, however, persons who 
intend to make models of their trees, will do well to pro- 
cure yearlings worked at the surface of the ground, for on 
them, beads or lateral branches can be formed without any 
difficulty at any desired point between the collar and ter- 
minal bud. Another consideration is worthy of note on 
this point. There is a much greater risk in removing 
three or four year old trees than yearlings, and they arc 
more difficult and expensive to pack and transport. The 
yearling is easily removed and easily transported, and its 
growth is comparatively unaiFected by the change. The 
gardeners most famous for their handsome, well-managed 
fruit trees, invariably select yearling trees, that is, trees 
that have made one year's growth from the bud or graft. 
But it is not always practicable to procure trees of this 
age, as few of them are called for, and nursery-men dislike 
to break upon their young stock before it has attained 
the usual marketable age. 

Selection of Varieties. — The selection of varieties of 
fi'uits for a fruit garden should be made in view of all the 
circumstances that can affect their usefulness. They 



214 per:\ianent plantations. 

should be adapted to the soil, and more particularly to 
the cUmate. It is well known that in every section of tlie 
country, certain varieties seam to succeed remarkably 
well, whilst others, of the greatest excellence elsewhere, 
entirely fail. Our country is so extensive, and embraces 
such a variety of climate, that it is impossible that the 
same varieties should succeed equally well in all parts ; 
and planters should consider this well. Those who have 
had no experience in cultivation, nor a proper opportunity 
for acquiring knowledge on this j)oint, should consult 
others. Any intelligent nurseryman who has a corre- 
spondence with all parts of the country, and is thoroughly 
alive to all ths branches of his profes4on, and the re- 
sults of experience, can aid planters greatly in making 
appropriate selections. It is true that the amount of 
knowledge collected on this head is yet comparatively 
small, and quite insufficient for a general guide, but it is 
every day accumulating, and what there may be is well 
worthy of attention. The experience of fruit growers, as 
elicited at recent pomological conventions, has brought 
to light a multitude of highly important facts, bearing on 
this very point. These will be more particularly noted 
when we come to the descriptlo7% of fruits. 

Varieties should he adapted in their growth to the form 
they are to he grown in, and to the extent of the garden. 
— For pyramid:d trees, varieties sliould be chosen whose 
habits of growth are regular, or slightly spreading, the 
branches assuming more of the horizontal than the 
upright, and those disposed to branch low down should be 
preferred to those of an opposite habit. Where the gar- 
den is small, moderate or slow growers should be pre 
forred to rapid and vigorous growers. They should also 
be well adapted to the stock on which they are worked. 
This is a very important point, but one on which only a 
few persons in this country have yet acquired any con- 
siderable atnount of actual experience. Still, many im- 



THE FRUIT GARDEN. 215 

portant facts have been gatlieiecl, and it becomes e very- 
planter to avail himself of them. If he plants pears on 
quince stocks, for instance, it is important to know that 
certain varieties are much better on that stock than they 
are on the pear, and that others fail and are worthless on it. 

The varieties should he adapted to the loants and wishes 
of the planter. — Those who plant fruit gardens have not 
all the same objects in view. One man plants his garden 
simply to supply his family Avith good fruits. Tliis is 
his main purpose. He should, therefore, select the very 
best varieties, considering not the quality alone, but their 
productiveness and other useful properties. Such a per- 
son has no desire for a large collection, but looks merely 
for an assortment that will yield a succession of ripe fruits 
during the season. Another, who regards the mere value 
of tlie fruit less than amusement, recreation, and experi- 
ment, will make his collection as varied as possib-e. 
Where any particular class of fruits can be had veiy 
cheap in market, it should be planted sparingly in the 
garden, so that such as may be scarce or dear can be 
grown in larger quantities. It is only by taking all these 
into account that planters can hope to make their fruit 
garden answer their particular views and purposes. 

The planting of a fruit garden should be considered as 
of equal importance with the building of a dwelling, so 
far as the doing of it well is concerned. The dwelling is 
constructed with a view to the convenience of the family, 
and is, therefore, in all its parts, supposed to be adapted 
to their wants and mode of living. The fruit garden is 
intended, also, to promote the comfort and convenience 
of the family, and should be, like the dwelling, in all 
respects as nearly as possible adapted to their wants and 
circumstances. Having now treated of the soil, inclos- 
ures, trellises, walks, arrangement, selection of trees and 
varieties, we proceed to the taking up of the trees and 
planting. 



216 PERMANENT PLANTATIONS. 

Taking up the Trees. — This has ah-eady been described 
under the head of Nursery Operations, to which the reader 
is referred. 

Planting has been described under the head of Planting 
the Orchard ; and the operation being the same in both 
cases, it need not be repeated. 

The arrangement of the trees^ however, is different, and 
tliis point requires a special notice. 

In regard to ^^osition. — Each class of trees, such as 
pears, apples, cherries, etc., should be planted together in 
the same rows or division, and if any difference exist in 
the soil, each should be planted in that best adapted to it. 
Thus, plums should have that most inclined to clay ; pears 
and apples, the deepest and richest; cherries, peaches, 
apricots, etc., the driest and lightest. 

Where the garden is large, the pyramids should be in 
one compartment, the dwarf standards in another, and the 
dwarf bushes in another; but where it is necessary to 
economize and fill the ground to the best advantage, the 
dwarf buslies may alternate advantageously with the 
pyramids or dwarf standards, and this especially along 
the walk borders. Varieties, too, of the same or similar 
habits of growth, should, if possible, be together. The 
espalier trees should be placed so that the earliest blos- 
soming kinds, such as the apricots, will be most secure 
from the influence of spring frosts where these prevail ; 
the trellis facing the north will be the best for this pur- 
pose ; but where it is intended to protect them, the aspect 
is of little account. In the north aspect, fruits are very 
nuich retarded in their ripening; and this circumstance 
may be turned to a good account to prolong the season 
of some late cherries, currants, etc' We have seen fine 
Morellos in perfection on a north wall here, in the month 
of September. 

The distance at which trees should he planted in the 
garden. — This will not be the same in all cases ; for in a 



THE PEUIT GARDEN. 217 

large garden it is not necessary to plant so close as in a 
very small one, and in a very rich and deep soil a 
greater distance will be required than in a dry and light 
soil. There is also a great difference in the growth of 
varieties. Some might be planted at six feet apart, and 
have as much space in proportion as others would at eight. 
This shows that no rule, as regards distance, can be 
observed in all cases, and this particularly in small gar- 
dens, where advantage should be taken of every circum- 
stance. In large gardens, a uniform distance may be 
adopted, even if some space be sacrificed. The following 
distances may serve as a general guide, and may be in- 
creased or diminished according to circumstances .* 

DISTANCE IN THE OPEN GROUND. 

Apples. — Pyramids, on free stock, ten feet apart; do., 
Doucin, eight feet apart; do., dwarf standards on Doucin, 
ten feet apart ; do., dwarf bushes on Paradise, five or six 
feet apart. 

Pears. — ^Pyramids on free stocks, ten to twelve feet 
apart; do., on quince, ten feet apart; do., dwarf stand- 
ards on quince, eight to ten feet apart. 

Plums. — Dwarf standards, eight to ten feet apart; do., 
pyramids, eight to ten feet apart. 

Cherries. — Pyramids, Hearts, and Bigarreaus, eight 
to ten feet apart ; do., Dukes and Morellos, six to eight 
feet apart ; do., dwarf bushes of Morellos, five to six feet 
apart. 

Apricots. — ^Dwarf standard on plum, eight to ten feet 
apart; do., pyramids, six to eight feet apart. 

Peaches. — Low standards on peach, ten to twelve feet 
apart ; do., on plum, eight to ten feet. 

Nectarines. — Same as peaches. 

Quinces. — Pyramids or bushes, six to eight feet apart. 
10 



218 PERMANENT PLANTATIONS. 

Filberts, six to eight feet apart. 

Gooseberries and Currants, four or five feet apart. 

JRaspherries, two to three feet apart. 

Mr. Rivers gives the following distances in his " Minia- 
ture Fruit Garden " : 

Pyramidal Pear-Trees^ on quince stocks, root-pruned 
for small gardens, four feet apart. The same, in larger 
gardens, not root-pruned, six feet apart. 

Pyramidal Pear-Trees, on the pear stock, root-pruned, 
six feet apart. The same, roots not pruned, eight to ten 
feet — the latter if the soil be very rich. 

horizontal Espalier Pear-Trees, on the quince stock, 
for rails or walls, fifteen feet apart. 

Upright Espaliers, on the quince stock, for rails or walls, 
four to six feet apart. 

horizontal Espaliers, on the pear stock, for rails or 
walls, twenty to twenty-four feet apart. 

Pyramidal Plumr Trees, six feet apart. 

Espalier Plum- Trees, twenty feet apart. 

Pyramidal Apple- Trees, on the Paradise stock, root- 
pruned for small gardens, four feet apart. The same, roots 
not pruned, six feet apart. 

Espalier Apple- Trees, on the Paradise stock, fifteen feet 
apart. The same, on the crab stock, twenty to twenty- 
four feet apart. 

Peaches and Nectarines for walls, twenty feet apart. 

Apricots for walls, twenty-four feet apart. 

Cherries, as bushes on the Mahaleb stock, roots pruned 
for small gardens, four feet apart. The same, roots not 
pruned, six feet apart. 

Espalier Cherry-Trees, on the Mahaleb, for rails or 
walls, twelve to fifteen feet apart. 



THE FRUIT GARDEN. 219 

Oblique Cordon Trees ^ of all varieties, two to three 
feet apart. 

Horizontal Cordons^ of all varieties, ten to twelve feet 
apart. 

DISTANCES FOR ESPAJLIER TREES ON WALLS OR TRELLISES. 

The distances between espalier trees must be regulated 
not only by the growth of the species and variety, but by 
the bight of the walls or trellis. If these be low, a 
greater length, of course, will be necessary than if high ; 
for eveiy tree must have a certain extent of surface to be 
spread upon. Hence, if a trellis be only eight feet high, 
nearly double the length, and, consequently, double the 
distance between the trees, will be required that would be 
on a trellis fifteen or sixteen feet high. As a general 
thing, peaches^ apricots^ or nectarines^ on walls or trellises 
eight or ten feet high, should be fifteen to twenty feet 
apart, if on free stocks, and twelve to fifteen if dwarfed 
on the plum. Cherries^ ten to twelve feet. Our Native 
Grapes^ Isahella^ Catawba, etc., at twelve to fifteen feet 
apart, on an eight-foot-high trellis. Foreign varieties will 
not require half this ; indeed, the better way is to keep 
these trained to simple stakes, and planted in the border, 
where their out-door culture is attempted. In this way 
they are easily laid down and protected. 



PEUNINQ 



CHAPTER II. 

PRUNma AND TRAINING APPLIED TO THE DIF- 
FERENT SPECIES OF FRUIT-TREES UNDER 
VARIOUS FORMS. 

Section 1. — ^Pruning the Apple and the Peak. 

These two trees belong to the same genus, Pyrus / 
their habits of growth and bearing are similar, and they 
may therefore be treated, as regards their pruning, under 
the same head. 

If we take, for example, a shoot of last season (fig. 7), 
we find it, in the spring, before vegetation commences, 
furnished on all its length -with wood-buds ; when growth 
commences, the terminal bud, and probably two or three 
of the others nearest to it, produce shoots; the others to- 
wards the middle produce small shoots that are, in subse- 
quent years, transformed into fruit branches (like fig. 10). 
Some do not push at all, but are converted into fruit- 
buds (as in figs. 8 and 9), whilst those at the base gener- 
ally remain dormant, until excited into growth by close 
pruning. All the buds on these trees have small, incon- 
spicuous buds at their base, which are capable of produc- 
ing shoots when the principal bud is destroyed or injured, 
and these buds render the fruit-spurs so enduring. In 
young trees, the fruit-buds are many years in process of 
formation, and in bearing trees, three to four years, ac- 
cording to circumstances. When the trees are not sub- 
jected to pruning, the result of the mode of growth 
described is, that the terminal buds grow and form one 
section upon another, leaving the lower parts mainly des- 



THE APPLE AND TUE PEAR. 221 

titute of bearing wood, unless it be an occasional spur, 
the sap always tending to the points. 

Standards. — The management of this fonn of trees 
has been fully treated of in all our works on fruit culture, 
and in all the agricultural and horticultural journals, so 
that now it is pretty well understood, and especially by 
those who give considerable attention to the subject of 
fruit-trees; it will not be necessary, therefore, to enter 
upon much detail in regard to it. 

A standard apple or pear tree, for the orchard, when 
taken from the nursery to be finally planted out, we will 
suppose to have a straight, stout trunk, four to six feet 
in hight, as the case may be, and a head composed of a 
certain number of shoots or branches, but generally shoots 
of one year's growth. At the time of planting, three or 
four of these shoots should be selected to form the main 
branches, or frame- work, on which to build the whole 
head, and the remainder cut clean out ; those reserved 
should be cut back full one-half, and from the shoots pro- 
duced on these, at and below the cut, two of the strongest 
are selected, each on opposite sides, and the others are 
rubbed off while they are soft. In selecting these shoots, 
care must be taken to have them equally distant from one 
another, and pointing in such directions as not to cross or 
interfere. 

During the first season, these young shoots must be 
watched and kept in a regular state of vigor. If any 
threaten to become too vigorous, they must be pinched 
and checked at once, so that perfect uniformity be pre- 
served. This is the time to secure a well-formed and 
nicely-balanced head. A very slight circumstance some- 
times throws the growth into one side or one branch of a 
young tree, and produces a deformity from which it never 
recovers. The trunk must be kept clear of all shoots, by 
rubbing oflT such as appear at the earliest possible moment, 
when it can be done without the use of a knife. Suppos- 



222 



PRUNING. 



ing we commenced the head with three branches at time 
of planting, there will be, at the end of the first season, 
six. 

The attention required after this will be to maintain an 
uniform growth among these six branches, and their mem- 
bers and divisions, and to prevent the growth of shoots 
in tlie center. The leading defect in all our orchard trees 
is too much wood^ the heads are kept so dense with 
small shoots that the sun and air are, in a great measure, 
excluded, and the fruit on the outside of the tree only 
is marketable or fit for use. The head should be kept 
open, rather in the form of a vase, so that the wood, 
leaves, blossoms and fruit may all, on every part, enjoy 
the full benefit of the sun and air, without wliich they 
cannot perform their functions, or attain maturity and 
perfection. 

Too many people imagine that trees can take care of 
themselves, as trees in the forest, 
on the ground that nature pre- 
serves a balance in all her works ; 
but it should be borne in mind 
that a fruit tree is not exactly a 
natural production. It is far re- 
moved from the natural state by 
culture, and the farther it is re- 
moved, that is, the more its nature 
is refined and improved, the more 
care it requires. Fig. 108 repre- 
sents a young standard pear tree, 
stem four feet high, and the head 
twice cut back, as at the letters a 
and h. 

Pinching. — If this be properly 
attended to, very little knife prun- 
ing will be necessary, except to shorten the leading 
shoots, because as soon as a superfluous or misplaced 




Fig. 108. — A YoxmQ 

STANDARD PEAR-TREE. 

Trunk 4 feet high ; head for- 
ward on three main branch- 
es, twice pruned at A and B. 



TUE APPLE AND THE PEAR. 223 

slioot appears, it is rubbed off, and when one becomes 
too vigorous, it is pinched and checked. The great ad- 
vantage of pinching is, that 

1st. It economizes the sap of the tree. That which 
would be expended on superfluous shoots is turned to the 
benefit of the parts reserved, and thus the growth is 
greatly promoted. 

2d. All wounds necessarily inflicted, where knife-prun- 
ing is depended on, are completely avoided. These facts 
should be remembered. Standard apples and pears are 
not generally pruned with a view to hastening their 
bearing, but are allowed to arrive at that state in their 
natural way. In the case of tardy-bearing sorts, how- 
ever, it may be desirable to apply artificial means, and 
these will be pointed out in treating of dwarfs and pyra- 
mids hereafter. 

Dwarf Standards. — These are similar to standards, 
except that the trunks are low, not over two or three feet 
in hight, and the head is retained in a smaller space. 
Their management is always much easier when the stocks 
are such as to dwarf or restrain the growth. Thus, 
apples on the Paradise or Doucin^ and pears on the 
quince. The main branches, or frame-work of the head, 
are produced by cutting back the three or four branches 
that form the head of the tree as it comes from the 
nursery, in the same manner as recommended for stand- 
ards. 

The first season^ all superfluous productions are rubbed 
off, and a balance maintained among the shoots by 
pinching. 

The second year^ in the winter or spring, the shoots of 
last season are shortened, say one-half, as a general thing. 
This induces the development of the buds on their lower 
parts. The cut is made at a good, plump bud, capable 
of producing a vigorous shoot ; and this is selected to 
prolong the branch. If one or two secondary branches 



224 PKUNING 

are needed to fill up a space, those next the leader, if 
properly situated to fill the space, are chosen, and all be- 
low them are pinched when about two or three inches 
long, in order to check the production of wood where it 
is not wanted, and to convert them into fruit branches or 
spurs. The growth of all the main and secondary 
branches is regulated and balanced by pinching ; and if 
the pinched shoots, intended for fruit spurs, start again 
into growth, they must be again pinched. 

The third season^ the shoots of the previous year are cut 
back as before, say to four, five, or six eyes, according to 
their strength. One shoot is chosen to continue the pro- 
longment of the branch, and the others are pinched in 
season to convert them into fruit spurs. Thus the tree is 
conducted from year to year, until it has attained the full 
size required. In this wlay the trees commence bearing 
quite young, and every branch is furnished, in all its 
length, with fruit spurs. 

Pyramids. — Under the head of "the selection of trees," 
it has been recommended to obtain thrifty yearling trees 
in preference to older ones, not properly managed. We 
will, therefore, begin with the yearling tree, and although 
the management of the first year after cutting back has 
been given in the nursery, it may be well to I'epeat it 
here, to save the reader the trouble of referring back. 

Objects of cutting hack. — The object in doing this is to 
produce branches near the stock, that will form the base 
of the future pyramid. If left entire, the tendency of the 
sap to the extremities would produce shoots there only, 
leaving a naked space entirely inconsistent with the form 
in view. We therefore reduce the stem to such an ex- 
tent, that but a small number of buds are left on it, and 
the sap, acting on these with great force, causes their 
development. 

Sow far to cut hack. — It is obvious that this must de^ 
pend on the character of the subject. In yearling plants, 



THE APPLE AND TUE PEAR. 225 

both of tlie pear and apple, there is presented a great 
difference in different varieties. Some invariably pro- 
duce lateral branches the first season. The buds are so 
perfectly developed, that when the second growth takes 
place in mid-summer, they break, and form branches, in 
some cases as much as a foot long, and in others only a 
few inches. Then, among the varieties which do not thus 
produce side branches in the second growth, there is a 
great difference in the plumpness and prominence of the 
buds. In some they are larger, and stand out boldly 
from the wood on the whole length of the stem, appa- 
rently ready to push under the least excitement. In 
others they are small, lie flat to the wood, and have 
every appearance of being difficult to excite into growth, 
and especially those towards the base. It should always 
be borne in mind that it is better to cut too low than not 
low enough. The difficulty of cutting too low is, that the 
shoots produced are nearly all of equal length, and a 
certain number of them require to be checked to give 
each one its proper dimensions. The difficulty of r.ot 
cutting low enough is, that where we should have 
branches at the base, we have none, or, if any, they are 
smaller, instead of larger, than those above them. The 
remedy in this case is more difficult than the other. The 
vi""orous shoots at the summit must be checked, and even 
the leading shoot, in order to throw back the sap into the 
lower parts, to act upon the buds there. The error 
which produces such a difficulty is very common, as we 
know by experience, among persons not familiar with 
the growth of young trees or the development of the 
buds on their stems. It must be laid down as a general 
rule that the more feeble the plants and the smaller and 
the more imperfectly developed the buds, the lower it is 
necessary to cut. 

The condition of the roots, too, must be taken into 
account; for where the roots are weak, broken, or injured, 



226 



PRUNING. 



force, and a more 



and consequently unfit to yield to the stem any considera- 
ble amount of nutriment, the buds will break with less 
severe retrenchment will be necessary. 
All these circumstances must be consid- 
ered. For example, we will take a young 
pear-tree, of one year's growth from the 
bud, without branches (fig. 109), which 
we will suppose to be four feet, which is 
the ordinary average hight of yearlings. 
If the buds are full and prominent on it, 
we cut to a good bud, about twenty 
inches from tiie stock ; but if the buds 
are less prominent, cut to fifteen or 
eighteen inches, and if very feeble, with 
small buds, cut to within twelve inches, 
or five or six buds of tlie stock. If the 
roots have been injured much, and the 
stem somewhat dried or shrivelled, it 
should be cut to within three or four 
buds of the base. These dificerent cases 
are mentioned because it frequently hap- 
pens that persons who live at a great 
distance from nurseries often find their 
trees, on their arrival, in the condition de- 
scribed, and it is necessary that a course 
of treatment for them should be indicated. 
The bud cut to should, if possible, be one 
of the best on the stem, and be on the 
side of the tree opposite that in which the 
bud was inserted, so as to continue the 
stem in a straight line. 

It ia a great advantage to have a tree 
well established in the ground before cut- 
ting it back, to produce the first branches 
to form the pyramid; because, in that condition, it is 
capable of producing vigorous shoots the first season. It 




A yearling pear- 
tree without bran- 
ches. The cross- 
line indicates the 
first pruning or 
cutting back. 



THE APPLE AND THE PEAR. 



227 



is on Ibis account that a young tree, cut back in the nur- 
sery, presents a much more perfect form, at the end of the 
second year, than those tliat have 
been transplanted. Some good cul- 
tivators advise to defer the cut- 
ting back for the formation of the 
permanent branches until tlie plant 
has stood one year after transplant- 
ing; but this course is attended 
with many difficulties, and, on the 
whole, it is better to cut back when 
the tree is planted, even if we ob- 
tain but a moderate growth; for 
the older the buds are on the lower 
part of the tree, the more obstinate 
and unmanageable they are. If we 
fail to accomplish our ends in tlie 
first cutting, we can repeat it the 
next year. 

Pruning the Branched Yearling. 
— Among trees of tliis kind, some 
have branches a foot or more in 
length, wliile in others they resem- 
ble short, stiff spurs, two to four 
inches long. These two characters 
require different modes of treat- 
ment. Where there are branches 
of sufficient force, and properly 
situated to form the first series of 
main branches, they must be treat- 
ed in the same manner as though 
the tree were two years old. The 
strongest and best situated are selected and pruned to with- 
in four to six inches of their base, according to their vigor 
and position ; the lowest should not be more than six inches 
from the stock. The small, feeble, superfluous ones ^re en- 




108. 
pear-tree with 
the pruning indi- 



Yearlin 
branches, 
cated by tlie cross-lines 



228 



TEUmNG. 



tirely removed ; the leading sboot, which, in such cases, is 
short, and provided with plump buds, does not require a 
heavy shortening ; in most cases, 
one - half will be quite sufficient. 
Figure 110 represents a tree of this 
kind ; the cross-lines indicate the cuts. 
Where the lateral branches are short 
and spur-like, they will require very 
careful treatment ; the strongest and 
best placed are reserved. If the 
lower ones have good terminal buds, 
they are left entire ; those above them 
are shortened, the lower to three, 
the next above to two, and the up- 
permost, next the leading shoot, to 
one bud. This will give their pro- 
ductions a proper relative degree of 
vigor. The leader is cut back fur- 
ther than in the well-branched sub- 
ject, because it is presumed the buds 
are less excitablq — as a general 
thing, within four to six buds of the 
highest lateral, or one-half of its 
length. 

There is another class of trees neces- 
sary to be noticed here, because they 
are very common — two-year-old nur- 
sery trees that have not been properly 
treated. Figure 111 represents a tree 
Fi^. 109. Qf ^^^ kind. A few inches only of 

A two-year-old pear-tree, ^, ^ ^ , /y. ^ ^i 

not cut back far enough tlie top Were taken oil at the com- 
the first season; the second mencement of the second year's 

pruning, to produce bran- . j rv j.\. ^ -j. i zv i. 

ches below, is indicated by growth, and after that it was left to 
the cross-line. itself. Branches, therefore, were pro- 

duced only at the top, leaving a vacant space of two 
feet — the very part that should have produced the first 




THE APPLE AXD THE PEAR. 229 

set of main branches. The best disposition to make of 
such trees would be to conduct them in the form of 
dwarf standards, which they really are at present ; but it 
liappens that, in some cases, it is desired to convert them 
into pyramids, and therefore it is essential that the proper 
means be pointed out. Two-year-old trees, like yearlings, 
differ materially in the character of the buds on the lower 
part of the stem. On some, these are quite prominent, so 
much so as to appear to have made some advance towards 
development, while in others they are quite flat and dor- 
mant. It is obvious that trees in the first condition will 
not require that severe retrenchment on the head, to pro- 
duce branches below, as the last. In this case it will 
generally be sufiicient, and especially if the space be- 
tween the stock and first branches does not exceed two 
feet, to cut back the leader to three buds, and the lateral 
branches below it to one bud; but when the buds are 
small and backward, or when the branchless space is over 
two feet in length, the two-year-old wood must be cut 
back to within eighteen inches to two feet of the base. 
The formation of lateral branches is encouraged by cut- 
ting notches in the stem, above a bud, at the point where 
the branch is desired. We find thnt in the case of im- 
ported trees, or those carried a great distance, and more 
or less injured, nothing short of this severe cutting can 
insure branches low enough to form a pyramidal tree. 
It seems a great pity to cut back a tree in this manner, 
and lose a year or two of its growth and bearing, but it 
is absolutely necessary when the pyramidal form is want- 
ed. There is still another class of trees that we sometimes 
see sent out from the nurseries. These are two or three 
years old ; have been cut back, and are pretty well fur- 
nished, in all their length, with lateral branches, but, from 
the want of proper care, those on the upper parts have 
acquired greater vigor than those below, presenting the 
tree in a situation just the reverse, in this respect, of what 



230 PKUXING. 

it ought to be. In pruning this specimen at the time of 
planting, the lower branches must either be shortened 
very slightly, in order to get a strong bud for a leader, 
or they must be left entire, while those above will be cut 
close ; where we want the longest and strongest branches, 
there we leave the most wood. 

The most important pruning performed upon a tree is 
the first one^ for it is this which makes all future manage- 
ment easy and successful, or difficult and unsatisfactory. 
This is the reason why it has appeared necessary to treat 
of it so minutely. Having encountered all the difficulties 
that others are likely to encounter, and having described 
them and pointed out the means by which they are to be 
overcome, it is believed that the matter has been made so 
plain, that any man of ordinary intelligence, and possess- 
ing the slightest knowledge of tree culture, can take his 
knife and prepare his trees in such a manner as to give 
him a most reasonable hope of attaining his ends. We 
now proceed to the 

Summer management of trees thus cut hacl^. — Wc will 
first consider the case of the yearling without branches. 
If it has been cut low enough, as directed, nearly all the 
buds below the cut will push. As a space of six to twelve 
inches should be kept clear between the ground an<l the 
first or lowest tier of branches, such shoots as may appear 
on that part will be rubbed off at once. Of the re- 
maining ones, a certain number, three to six, according to 
the length of the stem, will be reserved. These must be 
the strongest, and properly situated on the stem, within 
eight to ten inches of space between each branch, and 
that immediately above it, and regularly placed on all 
sides of the stem. Some recommend leaving on all the 
shoots that are produced the first season ; but in certain 
cases this would be bad practice, for if the buds be very 
close, the shoots would be so numerous that the strength 
of all would be impaired, and much pruning would 



THE APPLE AND THE PEAR. 



231 



be required the next season. The better way is to select 
such as are wanted, and rub off the others ; the sap which 
they would have appropriated will be turned to the ac- 
count of the permanent branch- 
es, and increase their vigor. The 
leading shoot must be directed 
in a straight line ; in some cases 
a support may be necessary. If 
the branches immediately below 
it are so vigorous as to inter- 
fere with its growth, they must 
be checked by pinching. In 
some cases it may be necessary 
to do this when they are an 
inch or two in length. It some- 
times occurs that the bad cut 
to is injured by the weather, 
close cutting, or some other 
cause, and pushes so feebly that 
the laterals below it, having 
more vigor, take the lead. This 
must be prevented in time. A 
proper relative degree of vigor 
must be maintained among all 
the branches by checking, when 
necessary, the most vigorous. 
The first summer's treatment 
of the branched yearling (fig. 
112) will t consist in maintain- 
ing a uniform growth among 
the lateral branches, and in the 
case of the leading shoot, as al- 
ready described. Some lateral 
shoots will be produced on the branches, and these must 
all be pinched at an inch or two, as it is yet too soon to 
allow of the formation of secondary branches. The sum- 




Fig. 110. 
A two-year-old pear-tree, hav- 
ing made one year's growth after 
the first pruning. 



232 



PRUIS^ING. 



mer treatment of the two-year-old tree, fig. 110, will be 
conducted on the same principles. The encouragement 
of the leading shoot will require special attention to se- 
cure it in an upright posi- 
tion, as, in many cases, 
where two-year-old wood is 
cut back, the leading shoots 
assume a horizontal or 
curved direction. 

The Second Pruning. — 
We have now a tree com- 
posed of two sections; the 
first is the two -year -old 
part, furnished with lateral 
branches; and the second, 
the leading shoot produced 
last season (fig. 113j^ In 
pruning it, our object will 
be to establish a new sec- 
tion of branches on the 
leader, to continue the pro- 
longment of the lower 
branches, and to induce the 
formation of fruit - spurs 
towards their base. To ac- 
complish these ends, wo 
shorten the leader or stem, 
on the same principle, in re- 
lation to its character, as 
already directed for the 
Fig. 111. yearling trees, from one- 

Pear-tree three years old, twice ^^^ tO tWO-thirds itS length, 
pruned ; the third pruuiiig is indicated and SOmctimeS more. EverV 
by the cross-lines. - j i 

bud between the one wc 
cut to and the base of the shoot, should push; and tlie 
bud to produce the leader should be large, perfectly 




THE APPLE AND THE PEAR. 233 

formed, and opposite the cut of the previous year. The 
lateral branches on the first section are shortened ac- 
cording to their vigor, always remembering that the 
lowest must be the longest, to carry out the pyramidal 
form. They should also be cut back sufficiently to 
insure the growth of all the buds on them. This point 
requires considerable care, for if not cut back enough, 
the interior of the trees becomes naked, instead of being 
supplied with shoots for bearing spurs; and if cut 
back too far, the shoots will be too vigorous and diffi- 
cult to control. The appearance of the buds, and liabits 
of the variety, will be a sufficient guide, if properly 
studied. The lowest branch on the left-hand side of fig. 
113, having failed to attain its proportionate growth, will 
be left entire, or nearly so. 

Treatment of the growing shoots. — When the buds have 
all started, and made a growth of an inch or two, their 
force and forwa^'dness will indicate the uses to be made 
of them. Each of the main branches of the first section 
may be considered as a stem ; its leader will require the 
same treatment to favor its extension. At this time a 
secondary branch may be required to fill up the space, 
which widens as the branches extend. If so, a shoot is 
selected for this purpose, and all the others on the same 
branch are checked at two inches, and converted into fruit 
branches. All the laterals are treated in this way. The 
second section, now in process of formation, must be 
managed as directed for the first section. During the 
first season, the requisite number of shoots is preserved, 
and the superfluous ones removed early. The leader is 
maintained erect ; and the latei-als immediately below it, 
being always inclined to vigorous growtli, must be checked 
to keep them in a proper condition, relative to the leader 
and the branches below them. The leading shoot must 
always maintain its preeminence. It often happens that 
the lateral shoots of the main branches that have been 



234 



PRUNING. 



pinched will start and grow again. In sucli cases another 
pinching must be performed within an inch of the previ- 
ous one. As a gen- 
eral thing, this will 
be sufficient ; but if 
not, a third must be 
given in the same 
way ; for if 'they be 
allowed to extend 
into wood branches, 
they will require 




knife- 



prunmg, 



and 



Pear-tree four years old, three times pruned ; 
cross-lines indicate the fourth pruning ; will noAv 
be iu a bearino: state. 



create confusion 
among all parts of 
the tree. A very 
general error in con- 
ducting trees of 
this kind, and in- 
deed all others, is to 
allow the branches 
to be too close to 
each other, so that 
when they come to 
bear, the wood, foli- 
age, and fruit, on the 
interior, are so ex- 
cluded from the air 
and light that they 
all suffer. The fruit 
is imperfect, and the 
spurs become feeble, 
and gradually per- 
ish. The tree has 
now .two branched 
sections, each from 



twelve inches to two feet, as the case may be, and with 



THE APPLE AND TUB PEAR. 235 

four to six branches on each ; the leading shoot is from 
one to three feet in length. 

The average hight of three-year-old trees, on the 
quince, in our grounds, transplanted at one year old, and 
twice pruned, is five to six feet. A few very vigorous- 
growing varieties, that tlirow up a leader every season 
three to four feet in length, are seven to eight feet ; but 
these are comparatively few in number. 

Third Pruning. — This is done on precisely the same 
principles laid down for the second. The leader of the 
stems is cut back in proportion to its vigor; tlie lateral 
branches are also shortened in the same manner. It 
must always be kept in mind that the lowest branches 
must be longest ; and when it happens that they do not 
take their due proportion of vigor, as compared with 
those above them, and if pinching has not been duly at- 
tended to the past summer, to maintain regularity, the 
weaker must now be favored with a long pruning. 

It has been remarked that the habits of growth and 
bearing of the pear and apple are similar, but it should 
be noted that, in treating them as pyramids, the apple- 
tree is more liable to lose its vigor at the top, and there- 
fore it is necessary to keep an eye to this point in their 
management. From what has been said with reference 
to an equal distribution of the sap, the remedy for this 
difficulty will be obvious, viz., to reduce the vigor of the 
lower parts by pinching, shortening, and heavy crops, 
and to favor the upper part by long pruning and thin- 
ning, or wholly removing the fruits. 

Management of the Fruit Branches. — About the sixth 
to the eighth year, from the first pruning of the tree, it 
will have attained nearly as great dimensions as, in many 
cases, will be desirable, and be well furnished with fruit 
branches. 

After this period, the object of the pruning will be to 
prevent the extension of the tree, and maintain the fruit- 



236 



PRUNING. 



bearing parts in a healthy and productive state. Without 
proper care they will be liable to suffer from bearing too 
much, or from the growth of young wood on the ex- 
tremities of young 
branches. 

To diminish the 
growth, and favor 
the fruit branches, 
the young shoots 
must be pruned 
shorter than before, 
in order to turn the 
sap more to the ben- 
efit of the fruits, and 
when the fruit-spurs 
become too numer- 
ous, so as to be too 
near one another, 
and produce more 
fruit than the tree 
can sustain with 
safety, a portion of 
tliem must be pruned 
off. The lower parts 
always experience 
this difficulty first, 
the sap circulating 
more slowly there 
than in the summit. 
Fruit - spurs of the 
pear and apple, if 
well managed, con- 
tinue in a vigorous bearing state for a great many years. 
To renew and prolong their vigor, the older parts must, 
from time to time, be cut away, and new productions 
created at their base to take their place. 




Fia:. 113. — pykamidal training complete. 



THE APPLE AND THE PEAR. 237 

Pruning and Management of the Apple as a Dwarf 
on the Paradise stoclc. 

Nothing is more simple than the treatment of these little 
bushes. 

They should have short stems, six to eight inches from 
the ground, and the head sliould not be allowed to exceed 
three to three and a half feet in hight, because the roots 
are very small, and do not take such a firm hold of the 
ground as to admit of a head that would offer much ob- 
stacle to the wind. The branches should be evenly distrib- 
uted around the head, open in the center, in the form of 
a vase, and be furnished in all their parts with bearing 
spurs. 

These are the points to aim at in commencing the for- 
mation of these trees. The proceedings are as follows : 

JP'irst Pruning. — We will suppose that the subject is a 
yearling bud or graft, a single shoot eighteen to twenty 
inches in hight. In this case, the stem is cut back to the 
point where it is intended to form the head, six to ten 
inches, as the case may be, from the stock. Below this, 
most of the buds will start and form shoots, from which 
we select three or four of the strongest and best situated, 
equally distant, if possible, around the stem, and rub or 
pinch off all the others. The growth of the branches thus 
selected for a head, is encouraged during the first season, 
by keeping down all other productions that may appear. 

Second Pruning. — The tree has now three or four 
branches destined to be the basis of the framework of the 
head. These branches are cut back full one half their length, 
according as the buds in the variety are easily excited or 
not, the object being to induce all the buds below the cut 
to push. After growth has commenced, and an inch or 
two of new wood been made, the shoot from the bud cut 
to, will be chosen as a leader to continue the extension of 
the branch ; and if secondary branches are wanted, they 
will be chosen from those best situated, to fill up the ex- 



238 



PRUNING. 



All the other shoots are pinched when 
two or three inches long, to convert them into fruit spurs, 
and to prevent their interfering with the growth of the 
wood branches. If one pinching is not sufficient, another 
must be given in the same way as recommended for pyram- 
idal trees. Indeed, the whole process, as far as it goes, 
is the same ; but the same eiforts are not necessary to 
maintain an equal distribution of the sap, for the tree is 
so low, and the form so natural, that no branch is more 
favorably situated than another; and hence they are 
easily kept in a uniform state of vigor. The branches of 
irregular-growing sorts will require to be secured by 
stakes in their proper places for a year or two at first, 
until they have assumed a permanent position. 

The third and all subsequent prunings will be con- 
ducted on the same principles as 
the first and second, already de- 
scribed, until the tree has attained 
its full size. Fig. 114 represents 
a dwarf apple-tree, four years old, 
three times pruned ; the two last 
prunings are indicated by the let 
ters a and b. 

Management of the JB earing 
Tree. — In most cases the apple on 
the Paradise is disposed to ex- 
cessive fruitfulness, and unless the 
fruit branches be occasionally 
thinned and shortened, in order Dwarf apple-tree, four years 
to reduce the number of bearing ^^^' ^^^^ ^^n inches high, head 

-I -I T . T -, composed of four main branches 

buds, and to produce new wood, and several secondary branches: 

the tree becomes enfeebled. Bad pnmed three times, as at a, 5, 
management of this kind has pro- "°^v in a bearing state. 
mulgated the belief that the apple on the Paradise is ex- 
ceedingly short-lived ; but the fact that plantations exist 
in the most perfect vigor at the end of twelve to fifteen 




Fiff 114. 



THE APPLE AND THE PEAR. 



239 



years after planting, shows that by proper treatment 
their existence is not so fleeting. The si)urs must be 
managed in a manner similar to that described in treat- 
ing of pyramids, to renew them, and the slender fruit 
branches must be shortened. This, in addition to the 
manuring to be hereafter described, constitutes the sub- 
stance of their manasjement. 

The Pruning and Management of the Apple and Fear 
a^ Espaliers. — In the cool, moist climate of England, this 
is a popular and advantageous method of training apples 
and pears. The specimens of this kind in public and pri- 
vate gardens there, are admirable in their way, and illus- 
trate the skill and handiwork of the English gardener 
very favorably. The best espalier for the apple and pear 
is that oiihQhorizontal^ that is, an upright central stem, with 




Fig. 115.— PEAR-TREE TRAINED HORIZONTALLY. 

horizontal arms or branches at equal distances on both 
sides (fig. 115). The production of this tree depends in 
the main on the same principles as the pyramid, and does 
not require illustration. The young tree is cut baok to 
within six inches of the ground. From the shoots pro- 
duced below that point, three are selected, the upper one 
to form the upright leader or stem, and two lateral or 
side ones to form the two first arms. The first season 
these shoots are allowed to grow upright and are kept in 
equal vigor. At the commencement of the second season 



240 PRUNING. 

they are all cut back far enough, say one third to one 
half their length, or even more in some cases, to insure 
the growth of all the buds. 

The upper shoot on each is selected for a leader, and the 
others are pinched at two inches or less. After the pru- 
ning, the arms are brought down half way to a horizontal 
position, and towards the latter end of the season, wholly. 
A uniformity of growth among all the parts is main- 
tained according to the means and principles already laid 
down, and year after year the tree is thus treated until 
the requisite hight and number of horizontal arms or 
branches be obtained. In the case of very vigorous 
growing sorts the leader may be stopped in June, and 
thus a second pair of arms be produced in one year. The 
upright leader and the branches are treated in a similar 
manner — a difference in vigor always requiring a corre- 
sponding difference in treatment. For espaliers, the apple 
should be on the Paradise or Doucin, and the pear on the 
quince^ because these stocks all diminish the vigor of 
wood growth, which is often the chief difficulty in 
managing trained trees. 

The aspect for these trees should never be due south. A 
railing to train such trees on, is made of upright posts 
sunk in the ground, and connected with cross-bars, at 
eight to twelve inches apart, upon which the arras of the 
espalier are fastened with willow or bass matting. Mr. 
Rivers, in his " Miniature Fruit Garden," exhibits a sys- 
tem of growing pears in espalier, in the form of pyramids, 
as adopted by himself. I saw these trees when in Eng- 
land, in 1849, and although it appeared a very ingenious 
and economical arrangement, admitting a great number of 
varieties in a small space, and besides very well adapted 
to an English climate, yet it did not appear to offer any 
advantages that would warrant its recommendation in 
this country, unless under rare circumstances in the most 
northern sections. Whoever will study attentively the 



THE PEAE. 241 

means described for conducting a pyramid, can succeed 
fully in training the espaliers or wall pyramid. 

THE PEAK IX WINE-GLASS FORM. 

Captain Wm. K. Austin, of Dorchester, Mass., has very 
successfully adopted a method of training his dwarf pear- 
trees, which he calls the " wine-glass pattern." Hovey's 
Magazine of Horticulture, February, 1865, contained a 
full account of this method of training by Captain A. 
himself, and I extract from that the following condensed 
statement : 

" I take good, thrifty dwarf trees, say two years from 
the bud ; I set them out in April, eight feet apart, in 
rows, and the rows twelve or fifteen feet apart. I cut 
off the top, or head it back, cutting out the center leader, 
if any, and prepare the tree for a low start. The first 
season the growth is usually small, but the second spring 
(a year from planting) they are prepared to start vigor- 
ously, and must be headed back or cut in, and the tree 
formed this second summer into the form you desire it to 
take. A certain number of leaders, ten or twelve, may 
be allowed to grow, the lower ones about eighteen inches 
from the ground, with a clean stem below that. 

"Nothing but these leaders are allowed to grow — no 
central leader, but all equally distributed. All side shoots 
and spray are kept down by nipping or cutting off with 
very light shears, leaving always three or four leaves at 
the base of the twig. 

"These leaders, having all the sap, grow fast, and must 
be topped, when too long, about the 10th of July, or 
sooner, if necessary, to check and concentrate the ener- 
gies of the tree, and stock it up. This may have to be 
repeated more than once, but if topped too early, the 
tendency is to throw out more side shoots, and increase 
the labor. After the 10th or middle of July, the growth 
11 



242 PETTNTN-G. 

becomes sluggish during the hot weather, and if in the 




Fig. 116.— PEAJl-TKEB TKAINED IN WINE-GLASS FORM. 

fall they start tjQ growing again, the same process must 
be repeated, and thus all the pruning is done during the 
growing season. 



CORDON TRAINING. 243 

" This being done each year, the tree is constantly in 
shape ; no saw is required to remove large limbs and 
waste its energies, and no sap lost in superfluous growth. 
The wood being exposed to the sun and air, ripens well, 
and predisposes to the production of fruit spurs and 
buds, and thus early bearing is secured." 

I saw these trees of Captain Austin's not long ago, and 
was delighted, not only with the symmetry, regularity, 
and naturalness of their form, but with their vigor, 
health, and productiveness. 

It is really a model pear garden. The system is exactly 
that pui-sued by the French in the management of their 
" cordons," and Captain Austin's "leaders" are " cordons." 
His " wine-glass " trees are like the French " vase," or 
" goblet," but less artificial. Captain Austin does not tie 
or restrain the branches in any way, but leaves them free 
to spread after their natural habit, and that is one feature 
of the system that, in my opinion, adds much to its value. 

CORDON TRAINING. 

M. Dubreuil says that, " with all the progress we have 
made in arboriculture, in the employment of means for 
the speedy attainment of certain ends, it still requires six- 
teen to eighteen years to perfect the form of an espalier 
pear-tree in any of the large designs, such as palmette, 
fan, etc., which cover from thirty to sixty square feet of 
wall (eighteen to twenty metres). 

"Add to this the labor, care, and skill required to obtain 
these forms in perfection, and the means necessary to 
maintain an equal growth and vigor between the differ- 
ent parts of the tree, objects which are so complicated 
that a large number of gardeners fail in their execution. 

" Struck by these difficulties, we have sought to remedy 
them by suggesting a new form which, much less difficult 
to establish than any of the others, permits the surface of 



244 



PEUNlxa. 



a wall to be covered much sooner, and brings the trees 
into full bearing at a much earlier period, without abridg- 
ing their duration. We have given to this new method, 
invented by us, for the pear, in 1852, the name of ' Cordon 
Oblique Simple.' Its application is made as follows: 

" Take young trees, one year from the graft or bud, 
healthy and vigorous, having single stems ; plant about 
eighteen inches apart, and incline one from the other, 
at an angle of about 60°. 

"Each one is cut back one-third its length, above a 
bud, in front, as at A, fig. 117. During the summer fol- 
lowing, the development of 
the terminal shoot is favored 
as much as possible, and all 
the others are transformed 
into fruit branches or spurs by 
the aid of these operations, 
recommended for the same 
purpose, in training the pear 
as a pyramid. In the spring 
following, each of these young 
trees presents the aspect of 
fig. 118. 

" The second pruning con- 
sists in applying to each of 
the lateral branches the care 
necessary to transform them 
into fruit-spurs, and to cut 
back one-third the new terminal shoot. The summer 
treatment will be like that of the preceding, 

" At the third pruning, the young stem should ordina- 
rily attain two-thirds its entire length, when it should 
be brought down to an angle of 45° with the surface of the 
ground ; and the terminal shoot and laterals are subjected 
to the same operations as in previous seasons. If these 
trees had been brought down at first to an angle of 45°, it 




Fig. 117.— OBLIQUE CORDON 
PEAR— riRST TEAR. 



CORDON TRAINING. 



245 



would have promoted the growth of strong superfluous 
shoots at the base, to the detriment of the terminal shoot. 

" To complete these trees, it remains only to continue 
to prolong the stem, by means of the operations described, 
until it reaches the top of the wall. 
Having reached that, the stems are 
cut, each year, about fifteen inches 
below the coping of the wall, in order 
to make place for the annual growth 
of a vigorous shoot, which will cause 
the sap to circulate freely through 
the whole extent of the stem." 

" As to the side of the horizon to- 
wards which the tree should be in- 
clined, this is a matter of no import- 
ance where the walls run east and 
west ; but for those north and south, 
the stems should be inclined to the 
south; the fruit branches on the 
lower sides will thus be better ex- 
posed to the light. It is recommend- 
ed, however, that where the walls are 
situated on sloping ground, the trees 
should be inclined towards the summit 
of the slope, otherwise they would 
attain the top of the wall too soon. 

" The trees being planted about eighteen inches apart, 
it results that the espalier, when complete, is composed of 
branches, lying parallel, with a space of about a foot be- 
tween them, as in fig. 119. 

" The espaliers, trained in this form, can be completed 
in five years, whereas, by other methods, it would require 
ten or twelve. 

" They may begin to fruit the fourth year, and be in full 
bearing the sixth, while twenty years would be required 
by the other methods. 




Fig, 118.— OBLIQUE COR- 
DON PEAR — SECOND 
TEAR. 



246 PKUXING. 

"Another advantage of importance is, that on the same 
extent of wall required for an espalier of the large kind, 
you can have a great many cordons, each of which may 
be a different variety, thus greatly increasing the interest 
of the plantation. 

" Besides, if a large espalier tree dies, it makes a great 
blank on a wall, and requires a quarter of a century to 




Fig. 119.— OBLIQUE CORDON PEAR-TREES. 

replace it ; but if a cordon dies, the blank is a small one, 
and very soon filled up with a new tree. 

*' The following objections have been urged against this 
form : 

" It has been feared that keeping the tree in such a 
small space will induce such vigorous growth as to pre- 
vent fruitfulness ; but this vigor being in proportion to 
the extent of surface of the soil to which the roots have 
access, and these being only eighteen inches apart, this 
fear must be groundless. 

" It has also been suggested that trees so near one an- 
other could not live; but as the stem and branches of the 
trees are to correspond with the extent of soil accessible 
to the roots, there can be no force in this objection. 



TRELLISES. 



247 



" It is farther objected that the cordon espalier is more 
expensive than one in the old method. This is true, as 
regards first expense ; but against this, the operations of 
pruning are much more rapidly executed. We can ob- 
tain a full crop of fruit from the cordon in six years, 
whereas it would take sixteen or twenty by the old 
method. The crop of ten seasons would certainly pay 
many times the extra expense of the first planting. 

" Finally, it is said that to give sufficient space to the 
stem of these trees, the walls must be of a certain hight. 
This is true ; but it will suffice if the minimum hight be 
nine feet. We conclude, then, that for walls at least 
nine feet high, the simple obhque cordon is to be pre- 
ferred ; for walls of less elevation, the old palmette, or 
fan." 

TRELLISES. 



The most simple trellis on which to train pear trees in 
this method is that illustrated by fig. 120. For a wall of 




Fig. 120. — TRELLIS rOR OBLIQUE CORDON. 

five feet elevation,, three transverse pieces, solidly fixed 
against the wall, then a series of laths nailed to the trans- 



248 



PKUXING. 



verse pieces, a foot apart, and inclined at an angle of 45°. 
Each of these laths will be a conductor for the stem of 
the young tree. Galvanized wire may be used instead 
of lath. 

Section 2. — Peuning and Training the Quince. 



As ordinarily grown, the quince is the most neglected, 
and, consequently, the most unsightly, deformed tree to be 
found in the orchard or garden, and yet, when well treat- 
ed, it is really, both when in blossom and in fruit, one of 
the most beautiful of all our fruit trees. Its fruit is more 
esteemed, and more generally used in this than in any 
other country. It is naturally a crooked or spreading 
bush, and without some attention to pruning and training 
when young, it assumes an irregular form, branching near 
the ground, and quite destitute of bearing wood on all its 

lower and interior 
parts. It is in this 
neglected form we 
most generally find it. 
To make a regular 
and handsome little 
tree, we have only, 
in the first place, to 
rear a straight and 
stout trunk about two 
or three feet high. 

If the plants be 
weak or crooked when 
planted, they should 
be cut low down to 
obtain a stout and 
straight stem. The 
young shoot should be 
kept tied up to a stake to prevent it from straggling. 




Tig. 121. 
J5, fruit branch of the quince; C, the shoot 
produced from the fruit-bed ; A, point at 
which it should be cut back after bearing. 



THE CHERRY. ^40 

The second year, if the growth has been vigorous, and 
low trees are desired, the head may be commenced. But 
if a stem three or four feet high be desired, it should be 
at least one inch in diameter, and another year's growth 
may be necessary. 

The head is formed in the same manner as described for 
standard and dwarf apples and pears. It should be round, 
symmetrical and open, and well furnished on all parts 
with bearing wood. 

The bearing branches or spurs of the quince are small 
twiggy shoots (j5, fig. 121), produced on wood at least 
two years old. These bear two, three, or more fruit buds. 
These produce shoots two or three inches long ( (7, fig. 
121), on the point of which the fruit is borne singly. 
These spurs have always wood buds as well as fruit buds, 
and therefore they should be shortened back as to A, fig. 
121 , the spring after they have borne, in order to produce 
new spurs at the same point. 

The French train it in beautiful pyramids, on pre- 
cisely the same principle as the pear and apple ; but the 
leading shoot must be kept fastened to an upright sup- 
port — a small rod atta'ched to the base — on account of its 
reclining habit. 

THE MEDLAR 

is but little cultivated. Its treatment may be exactly 
similar to that described for the quince, its habits of 
growth and bearing being similar. 

Section 3. — Pruning the Cherry. 

The cherry is trained in any desirable form with as 
much facility as any of our hardy fruit trees. The 
heart and higarreau classes are very rapid growers, often 
attaining the hight of six feet the first season from the 
bud or graft, and in two years forming fine standard trees 
11* 



250 PEUNING. 

six to seven feet high, with a few top shoots. They have 
also large, drooping leaves, and, with few exceptions, stiff, 
erect, or slightly curved branches. 

The duke class does not grow so rapidly. The branches 
are stiff and erect, the leaves smaller as a general thing 
than the preceding classes, more erect, thicker and of a 
deeper, darker green color. 

The morellos are of a bushy habit, with smaller leaves 
than any of the preceding classes, and the branches are 
more slender and closer together. The bark of all is very 
tough, being composed of several layers of powerful fibres 
and tissue. The mode of bearing has already been de- 
scribed under the head of fruit branches, in the beginning 
of the work. The fruit is produced on wood three years 
old, thus : The shoot of last year's growth, which is now 
furnished with leaf buds in all its length, will produce 
at the point, if not shortened, one or more shoots, and all 
the buds remaining are, during the season, transformed 
into clusters of fruit buds, and produce fruit the year fol- 
lowing. In the center of these clusters of fruit buds 
there is always a wood bud, and this grows a little and 
produces new clusters of fruit buds to replace those that 
have borne. Some of the morellos produce fruit on two- 
year-old wood, like the peach, the leaf buds being trans- 
formed into fruit buds during the second growth of the 
first season of their formation. The fruit bud is very 
easily distinguished from the leaf bud by its roundness 
and plumpness. 

Pruning the Cherry as a Standard. — In "Western New 
York the cherry succeeds so well, and being in general ex- 
empt from the bursting of the bark, that trees can be grown 
safely with trunks five or six feet high ; but in the West, 
where this malady prevails, the less there be of a naked 
trunk the better ; for it is the trunk and large branches 
that are generally so affected. As a standard, the cherry 
requires very "little pruning. 



THE CHERRY. 251 

To Form a Round Open Mead. — We will take for ex- 
ample a young tree two years old, having three or four 
top branches. These at the time of planting should be 
cut back to within four or five buds of their base, and 
when growth has commenced, the requisite number of 
shoots, say four or five, to form the framework of the head, 
are selected, evenly distributed on all sides, and all the 
others pinched or rubbed off. 

The following season these shoots may again be short- 
ened to produce secondary branches to fill up spaces, and 
those arising from the centre should be pinched out, for the 
head must be kept open and accessible to the sun and 
light. In about three years of such treatment the head 
of the tree assumes a permanent form, and thereafter may 
be left to itself, except to remove occasionally branches 
that may cross or interfere with one another. 

Pyramidal-headed Standards. — Certain varieties, for 
instance, SparhawJc's Honey., Downer.^ China JBigar- 
reau^ Black Tartarian., Black Heart., and some others, 
make fine pyramidal-shaped heads without pruning, more 
than to give the leader its due superiority at the begin- 
ning, and to remove afterwards, crossing and superfluous 
branches. 

Such varieties as the Yellow Spanish, Black Eagle, 
Kniglit's Early Black, Elton, and all the spreading sorts, 
should have round, open lieads, built upon three or four 
main branches, as described. 

Pruning the Cherry as a Pyramid. — The same process 
recommended for the pyramidal training of the pear and 
apple may be applied with complete success to the cherry. 
We have now in our specimen grounds a collection, of all 
the classes trained according to the method described, 
and their condition is in every respect satisfactory ; they 
have all given fruit the third year. 

In most cases the trees were taken from the nursery 
rows at the end of their first season's growth from the 



252 PKUNING. 

bud. Some had no side branches, and others had. It is 
very common for cherries, and especially the Dukes and 
Morellos, to form a number of lateral branches the first 
season. Growth becomes slightly suspended, or at least 
goes on very slowly, in July ; during this time the buds on 
the lower part acquire a sort of maturity, and when a new 
growth commences they push and form shoots. Cherry 
trees of this kind are in a good condition for pyramids. 
"We select from these the strongest and best situated 
to form the lower tier of permanent branches ; the lower 
ones are shortened to four or five buds, and the upper ones 
to two or three. The leader or stem is cut back to within 
six, eight, or ten buds of the branches. Those having no 
branches are cut back to within six or eight buds of the 
stock. And this is the first pruning. 

Treatment during the First Stimmer after Pruning. — 
When the young shoots have grown a couple of inches in 
length, such as are intended for permanent branches are 
chosen, and the others are pinched in the same manner as 
recommended for pears and apples. Such as acquire more 
vigor than is consistent with their position, must be 
checked. It frequently happens that unless the leader has 
been cut back close, only three or four shoots will be pro- 
duced at the extremity, leaving a vacant space below. 
This can be remedied in most cases by pinching the shoots 
around the leader when they have grown about an inch. 
In some cases it may be necessary even to check the 
leader to force the lower buds into growth. This is a 
point of considerable importance in conducting a pyramid, 
and should never be lost sight of. 

TTie Cherry as an Espalier. — Except it be the training 
of the morello, or some other late varieties, on a north 
wall, to prolong their season of maturity, the cherry is sel- 
dom grown as an espalier tree in this country, nor is it to 
be recommended, except in some rare instances. The sim- 
plest and probably the best form is that suggested for 



THE CHERRY. 253 

pears and apples, an upright stem with horizontal branches. 
To produce this the same means are employed as have 
been previously described. If the tree has no side 
branches proper for the first arms, it must be cut back to 
within six inches of the ground, and from the shoots pro- 
duced below that, one is selected for the leader, and one 
on each side for the first horizontal branches ; the other 
shoots are pinched off. At the next pruning the leader is 
again shortened to produce another pair of side branches 
eight or ten inches from the first ; the leader is continued 
in an upright direction, and the side branches are brought 
half-way down in midsummer, and at the following spring 
pruning they are placed in the horizontal position. The 
leading shoot of rapid-growing sorts may be stopped about 
the end of June, and this will produce side shoots from 
which another pair of arms may be taken, and thus gain 
a year in the formation of the tree, or covering the wall 
or trellis. 

For weak-growing sorts, the fan form or some modifica- 
tion of it would, perhaps, be more suitable than the hori- 
zontal, as it ofiers less restraint to the circulation of the 
sap in the branches. 

The Cherry as a Dwarf or Bush. — The slow-growing 
sorts, such as the duhes and morellos^ when worked on the 
mahaleb stock, make very pretty and very easily managed 
prolific bushes, and by occasional root-pruning they may 
be confined to as small a space as a dwarf apple-tree. To 
produce this form the young tree is cut back to within 
five or six buds of its base ; and from the shoots produced 
below that, four or five evenly distributed around the tree 
are selected for the permanent branches or framework of 
the tree. The others are rubbed off*. At the next pru- 
ning the branches thus produced are shortened to produce 
secondary branches ; and thus it is treated from year to 
year until the tree is formed and full-grown. 

The branches must be kept far enough apart to admit 



254 PEUNING. 

the sun and air freely amongst them. When the tree is 
five or six years old, if it grows too vigorously, requiring 
more space than can be given it, the larger roots may be 
shortened in July or August, or in the winter. This and 
the pyramid, and the dwarf standard, with stems two feet 
high, are the most eligible garden forms for the cherry.* 

This dwarf or bush form is probably the most advan- 
tageous one in which the cherry can be successfully grown 
in all of the Western and North-western States. Where 
the summers are hot and the air often very dry, the foli- 
age protects the main stems ; and where snows are deep, 
the tree is in this form often protected from cold and the 
fruit buds saved. 

The dwarf standard is treated precisely as the dwarf, 
and differs from it only in having two feet instead of six 
or eight inches of stem. In pruning and training the 
cherry, it should always be borne in mind that when 
large branches are removed, it is liable to suffer from the 
gum, and therefore the regulation of the shoots should 
be carefully attended to in summer, that amputations of 
woody parts may be avoided as far as possible. When it 
is necessary, however, the cut surface heals more rapidly 
and surely when made in the summer, during the growing 
season. 

Section 4. — Pehn-ing and Management of the Peach. 

The peach is universally regarded as the most delicious 
fruit of our climate, and ranks in importance for orchard 
culture, next to the apple and the pear. Nowhere in the 
world is it produced in such quantities, and with so little 



* Mr. Rivers states in his "Miniature Fruit Garden" that he has a 
plant of the late Duke Cherry ten years old that never was root-pruned, and 
yet is a small prolific tree, five feet in hight, and the branches the same in 
diameter. We have in our specimen grounds trees of several dukes and 
morellos, six years old, on mahaleb stocks, not over four or five feet 
high, and pictures of fruitfulness. 



THE PEACH. 255 

labor, as in America. An English or French gardener 
will expend more labor on a single tree than the majority 
of om' orchardists do upon one hundred. Our favorable 
climate obviates a multitude of difficulties that have to be 
contended with in other countries, and renders unneces- 
sary the minute and laborious systems of management 
which they find it absolutely necessary to jmrsue. 

But this very excellence of our climate has given rise to 
a most negligent and defective system of cultivation, as is 
everywhere illustrated in the condition of orchards. The 
peach, of all other trees, is one that, from its mode of 
growth and bearing, requires constant pruning to main- 
tain it in a shapely, thrifty, and productive state. The 
sap tends powerfully to the extremities of the shoots, 
more so than in any other fruit tree. The buds that do 
not push and form shoots the first season after their forma- 
tion, are lost ; they cannot, as in most other trees, be ex- 
cited into growth ; and hence it is that the lower parts 
become so rapidly denuded of young wood, and that trees 
left to themselves six or seven years are in a measure 
worn out and useless. 

The fruit is borne only on wood of tlio preceding year 
(see fruit branches), and every part destitute of such wood 
must be worthless ; consequently one of the great objects 
of pruning is to keep all parts of the tree furnished with 
a regular and constant succession of annual bearing shoots. 

The case of a single shoot will illustrate the influence 
of pruning and its necessity. By referring to the fruit 
branch, it will be seen that it is furnished with a certain 
number of wood buds and fruit buds. At the base there 
are always one or two wood buds at least. 

Now, if that shoot were not pruned, all the fruit buds 
on it would probably produce fruit — one, two, or three 
of the wood buds at the top would make new shoots ; 
these would necessarily be very weak in consequence of 
the fruit below them. At the end of the season there 



256 PKTTNING. 

would be a long, vacant space, entirely destitute of a 
young shoot or a living bud. This is the way that 
the interior and lower parts of trees soon become de- 
garnished. 

But when that shoot is shortened, we will say one half, 
the sap IS retained in it& lower parts, one lialf of the fruit 
buds are removed, and the consequence is that Urge and 
fine fruits are obtained from those remaining ; vigorous 
young shoots are produced from the lower buds to bear 
next year, and take the place of those which have already 
borne. In this way regular uniform crops of large and 
fine fruit are obtained, and a constant succession of young 
shoots is kept up. 

To Form the Head of a Standard Peach Tree. — We 
will suppose it the intention to form a standard tree, with 
a trunk two feet in hight, and a round, open, and sym- 
metrical head. We take a yearling tree and cut it back 
to within two feet and a half of the ground in the spring. 
Below this cut, a certain number of shoots will be pro- 
duced, from which three will be selected to form the main 
branches or framework of the head. All the others are 
rubbed ofi* when two or three inches long, or sooner. At 
the end of the season we have a tree with three branches. 

The second year these three branches are cut back full 
one-half their length, and from each we take a shoot to 
continue the branch, and one to form a secondary branch. 
The other shoots produced below these are pinched or 
checked, to prevent them from interfering with the growth 
of the leading branches. In the fall of the year we have 
a tree with six leading branches, and some bearing shoots 
below on the older wood. 

The third year each of these six branches is shortened 
one-half, in order to obtain more secondary branches, and 
some fruit branches on the lower parts. All young shoots 
on the old wood, whether fruit branches or not, should be 
cut back one-half, or as far as may be necessary, to cause 



THE PEAcn. 25 r 

the wood buds at their base to push, and make shoots to 
bear next year. 

The formation of the head goes on as described, for two 
or three years more, when it is complete ; for peach trees, 
properly pruned, do not assume such wide-spreading forms 
as they do naturally. 

The main branches and secondary branches should be 
at equal distances throughout, and far enough apart to 
give the bearing wood on their sides the full benefit of the 
sun and air. 

An equality of vigor should also be preserved amongst 
them by summer pinching. It is not uncommon to see a 
very vigorous shoot start up in a peach-tree, and appro- 
priate so much of the sap as to injure a whole branch ; 
these should be checked the moment their character is ob- 
served, unless they may be wanted to fill a vacancy. Every 
part of the branch should be furnished with bearing 
shoots, and these should, every spring, be shortened in 
one half or more, to produce others at their base, whilst 
those that have borne are cut out. 

Some people imagine that when they have taken a pair 
of hedge shears, or some such instrument, and shorn off 
the ends of the shoots on the outside of the tree indis- 
criminately, they are " shortening in," and so they are, as 
they would a hedge ! Some of the shoots are cut away 
entirely, fruit-buds and all, whilst others remain untouched, 
and the tree becomes like a brush on the outside and 
naked within. This is almost as bad as the let-alone sys- 
tem. Every shoot should be cut separately. The most 
expeditious instrument for doing this is a pair of light 
hand pruning shears, such as the French secateur (see in- 
struments). A person accustomed to its use can prune 
every shoot on a full-grown tree in an almost incredibly 
short space of time, as compared wdth that required with 
the knife. Extensive orchardists, looking to the cost, may 
be deterred from such a labor; preferring to let their 



258 PRUNING. 

orchards die after bearing a few crops, and plant new 
ones to take their place. In the case of garden trees, or 
the family orchard, the case is different, and careful pru- 
ning will pay. 

Root Pruning. — In gardens where the soil is rich, and 
trees very full of vigor, disposed to grow too much and 
bear too little, root pruning should be practised once in 
two or three years — the first lightly, removing only the 
ends of the large feeding roots. The safest time to do it 
is between the fall of the leaf and the opening of spring. 
Vegetation in the peach seldom becomes sufficiently inac- 
tive during the growing season, to enable the roots to be 
pruned with safety. 

The Peach in the form of a Vase. — Among all the 
forms in which trees are conducted, this is, when well 
done, one of the most graceful. 

It consists of a short stem, two to five feet, according to 
fancy, with a head composed of three or four main branches, 
and two or three times that number of secondary branches, 
all trained, by means of light stakes at first, and after- 
wards wire or wooden hoops, in the form of a vase or 
goblet. The branches are arranged in a circle, with bear- 
ing shoots filling up the spaces. ISTo shoots are permit- 
ted either in the interior or in front, that is, projecting 
from the exterior surface of the goblet. 

The most beautiful trees of this form are to be seen in 
the gardens of the Luxembourg, at Paris, and elsewhere 
in France. 

Mr. Louis Gaudry, who has a very pretty little planta- 
tion in Paris, and who has published a small work on 
pruning and training trees, gives the annexed cut as a rep- 
resentation of one of his vase peach-trees of eight years' 
growth (fig. 122). The following is the substance of his 
mode of conducting them. 

Pirst Pruning. — The stem of the yearling tree k cut 
back to the point at which it is desired to commence the 



THE PEACH. 



250 



head, to three buds, forming a triangle, and as nearly as 
possible of the same hight. Three shoots are obtained 




Fig. 123.— rEACH-TliEE IN FORM OF A VASE. 

from these three buds to form the first or main branches 
or framework of the vase. To fivor the growth of these, 
all the shoots produced below them are rubbed off. 

In order to give them the proper inclination, tliree small 



260 PRUNING. 

Stakes are inserted in the ground, to which the three 
branches are fastened ; it is supposed that if these stakes 
be sunk as far from the base of the tree as the roots ex- 
tend, and in an upright position, there will be a sufficient 
opening or space in the center. The branches should be 
thus brought out about August, so that the formation of 
new layers of wood subsequent to that time may fix them 
in their places. The side shoots, which are produced on 
the young branches, towards the latter part of the season^ 
designated by the French bourgeois anticipes, are pinched 
to one or two leaves. 

Second J^runing.— The spring following, the branches are 
loosed from the stakes, and shortened to within six or eight 
inches of their base, to a leaf bud on the outside or front 
of the branch, and with a bud below it, either on the right 
or left side. The front bud continues the main branch, 
and the side bud forms a secondary branch. The three 
branches are pruned in this way, taking care that the 
secondary branch on each is on the same side, so that two 
of them can not come in contact. To favor the growth of 
these new shoots, all those situated below them that acquire 
too much vigor, must be pinched at three or four leaves. 

A wooden hoop may now be placed in the center, to 
which the branches are attached to keep them in their 
places. In this way the tree progresses ; every year one 
or more secondary branches are produced, the main 
branches increase in length, and fruit shoots are produced 
on all the intervals of the branches on their two sides. 

All shoots that push either inside or in front of the vase 
are pinched off, and pinching is practised at all times to 
maintain equal growth between the different parts, and to 
check any too great tendency of the sap to the ex- 
tremities. 

Third Fruning. — The fruit branches are pruned to 
three or four buds, to induce the lower wood buds to push 
and form new wood for the next season. 



THE PEACH. 261 

The main branches are cut back to ten or twelve inches 
above the previous pruning, to a bud on the front to con- 
tinue the branch ; the buds selected to produce another 
series of secondary branches must all be on the side oppo- 
site the previous ones. If the position of the buds renders 
this impossible, then they may all be chosen on the same 
side as the first. 

The hoops this year will require to be larger in diame- 
ter than the preceding, in order to give increased width 
to the vase as it proceeds upwards. All the other opera- 
tions are conducted in the same manner. The hoops in- 
side are placed within six to eight inches of one another, 
and the circular branches within twelve to fifteen inches. 
As the tree advances in age, the growth may become too 
vigorous at the top ; and in this case, the main branches, 
always the most vigorous, must be pruned short, and even 
pinched during summer, to turn the sap to the benefit of 
the weaker parts. 

These are the main points in the management of these 
vases. It may be added, that the apple, pear, cherry, and 
indeed all other trees may be grown in this form, and by 
the same means, varying it only to suit different modes 
of growth and bearing, and degrees of vigor. 

The Peach as an Espalier. — Espalier training will never 
be practiced in this country to any very great extent, and 
therefore it may be considered, in comparison with open- 
ground systems, unimportant. Yet there are some dis- 
tricts not so favorably situated as to be able to produce 
peaches, apricots, and nectarines, in the open ground. 
For these a proper system of espalier training is impor- 
tant, because in this form trees are easily protected from 
winter or spring frosts, and they ripen their fruits perfect- 
ly, where open ground or standard trees would not. We 
have a tree trained on the wall of one of our nursery 
buildings which never fails to yield a good crop of superb 
fruit, when trees in open ground, both in orchard and gar- 



2G2 



PRUNING. 



den, fail. The fruit is of superior quality, and ripens 
considerably earlier than that on trees in open ground. 
On the 8th of August last, 1871, we picked from it Hale's 
Early, nine inches in circumference. 

The Peach as an Espalier trained on a loall or trellis. — 
There are a multitude of forms for espalier trees where 
training on walls or trellises is necessarily and extensively 
practiced, as in England and France. The great requisites 
in a wall tree are, first^ to have all the wall covered ; and, 
second, to have the different parts of the tree alike favor- 
ably placed, with reference to its growth. Next to these 
are simplicity and naturalness. 

The most popular form in England is that called the fan 




Fig. 123.— FAN-SHAPED ESPALIER. 

(fig. 123). In it the branches are spread out so as to re- 
semble a fan ; the lower ones are nearly or quite hori- 
zontal ; the next more oblique ; and so they proceed until 
the center ones are quite upright, and this appears to be 
the defect of this form ; for the horizontal branches can 
not maintain such a vigor as those more erect above them. 
The square espalier, invented by M. Felix Malo, of 
France, and now extensively practiced by some of the 
best peach-growers of the celebrated town of Montreuil, 
seems to possess more advantages, all in all, than any 
other. The 3 on Jardinier, from which the following 
description of the method of conducting these trees is 





THE PEACH. 263 

taken, says: "This generally approved form begins to 
find imitators, and it is probable that one day it will be 
adopted by all intelligent gardeners." 

First Year. — We will begin with a peach-tree one year 
from the bud, and cut it down to within six or eight 
inches, or three or four buds of the stock. From the buds 
produced below the cut, two of the strongest are chosen, 
one on each side to form the two main branches — branches 
merely y all the other shoots are destroyed, and these two 
are allowed to grow upright, and in the fall they will be 
three to four feet high. 

Second Year (fig. 124). — In the spring, when hard frosts 
are no longer apprehended, 
the branches are examined 
to see if they be sound and 
healthy, free from bruises, 
insects, etc., and they are 

^ , ' ^ ' , r,r, Fig. 124. Fig. 125. 

cut back to twelve or fif- ^^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^ 

teen inches of their base, 

according to their strength ; a weak branch ought al- 
ways to be cut back in such a case as this further than 
a strong one. 

The bud cut to, should, if possible, be on the inside^ 
and the next bud below it on the outside y the first to 
continue the main branch, and the other to form the first 
exterior secondary branch. All shoots starting on the 
front or rear of the main branch should be rubbed off, and 
those on the sides laid in early to prevent their acquiring 
too much vigor. The main branches are left until July, 
when they are brought down to the form of a Y, and at- 
tached to the wall or trellis in this position. The exterior 
secondary branch is placed more obliquely, and the fruit 
branches are kept in a uniform and moderate growth by 
pinching and laying in. The most vigorous should 
always be laid in first, to check them, and favor the others. 

Third Year (fig. 125). — ^After loosening the tree from 



264 PEUNINQ. 

the trellis, the two main branches are cut back to sixteen 
or eighteen inches of the previous prunino;, and the two 
lower or secondary branches to twelve or sixteen inches. 

The fruit branches are shortened to within two or three 
buds of their base, and all are again fastened back in their 
places. When the young shoots have reached the length 
of three, four, or five inches, such as are badly placed on 
the front or rear of the branches, or in any place injurious 
to the symmetry of the tree, are removed. During the 
summer the difierent branches must be laid in from time 
to time, the most vigorous first. This year two more 
secondary branches must be obtained on each side, in the 
same manner as in the previous year. Their growth is 
also promoted by the same means. 

The fruit branches on the sides of the main branches 
may give some fruit this year, and those on the secondary 
branches may bear next year. 

The fruit branches that have borne are to be cut away 
each year and replaced by others, therefore we must com- 
mence to provide for these, branches of replacement. 
They are produced as follows : 

First, it may be observed that fruit branches have gen- 
erally one or more wood buds at their base. Sometimes 
these will push and form branches of replacement without 
any assistance, more than cutting back. In such a case 
there is no difficulty. When the fruit is ripe, or at the 
next pruning, the fruit branch that has borne is cut away, 
and the new one takes its place. But nature does not 
always act thus. It is generally necessary to force the 
development of these branches of replacement, without 
which the branches in all their lower parts would become 
entirely denuded. 

Hence, then, when a branch of replacement fails to ap- 
pear by the ordinary method of shortening, we have two 
modes of forcing it : one is to make, after the fruit is set, 
an incision through the bark two inches above one of the 



THE PEACH. 



265 



wood buds, and pinch close all the shoots on the fruit 
branch, leaving only rosettes of leaves necessary to the 
perfection of the fruit; pinching must be repeated all the 
time that the shoots on the fruit branch continue to grow. 

Fourth Year (fig. 126). — After having examined if the 
tree is equally vigorous in all its parts, and having de- 
cided upon the means of restoring the balance if it has 
been lost, the tree is detached from the wall or trellis, and 
pruned, commencing with the fruit branches that have 
borne. These, it must be remembered, are to be cut back 
each year to the new branch of replacement produced at 
its base. The young shoot then becomes the fruit branch, 
and is pruned within four to fourteen inches, according to 
its vigor and the situation of the fruit buds. 

The two main branches are cut back to within about 
twenty inches of 
the previous prun- 
ing ; the first shoot 
on the inside is 
chosen to continue 
the branch, and the 
next one below it, 
on the lower and outer side, to produce the third ex- 
terior secondary branch. The two secondary branches 
already formed are cut back to about twelve to fifteen 
inches of the previous pruning, in order to make all the 
lateral buds on them push. The terminal bud produces a 
leader to continue them ; all the others are fruit branches. 

In attaching the tree again to the wall, the angle that 
exists between the two main branches is gradually 
widened, the branches a little more spread at every pruning. 

Fifth Year (fig. 127). — The tree is now composed of 
two main branches, both of which have three secondary 
branches on their exterior lower sides, and fruit branches 
on all their length on the interior and upper side ; and all 
that is wanted to complete it is to transform three of the 
12 




Fig. 126. 

FOURTH TEAR. 




266 



PRUJ^IXG. 



bearing shoots on the upper sides into three secondary 
branches, corresponding and alternating with the three 
lower ones. To do this we select the fruit branch on each, 
nearest the fork or base of the main branches. The 
growth of this is favored by training it in an upright posi- 
tion, and by pinching any vigorous shoots near it. The 
tree is managed thus, as in preceding years, in regard to 
laying in the shoots according to their vigor, and pinch- 
ing to maintain regularity, etc. 

The Sixth Year (fig. 128). — The pruning is conducted 
on the same principles precisely, and another interior 
secondary branch is produced in the same way as last 
year. 

The Seventh Year (fig. 129). — ^Another is produced on 
each, and then the tree, with its two main branches and 
twelve secondary branches, all trained in the form of a 
parallelogram, is complete (fig. 130). 

Fig. 131 represents the tree complete, bearing shoots 
and all. 

The main branches should be permanently fixed at an 





Tig. 128. Fig. 129. 

SIXTH TEAR. SEVENTH TEAR. 

angle of 45° ; the lowest 
exterior secondary branch- 
es at 15°. Some cultiva- 
tors recommend that the 
interior secondary branch- 
es converge to the center 
at an angle of 45°. This 

gives them an oblique direction, and places them upon 

a more equal footing with the other parts. 




Fig. 130. — EIGHTH TEAR. 



THE PEACH. 



267 



an ima2:inary circular line 



In training such tree; 
duced on the 
wall or trellis, 
and this is divid- 
ed off into parts, 
corresponding to 
the degrees of a 
circle, commenc- 
ing at the center 
above, and num- 
bering both ways 
to the base: this 
enables the per- 
sons who conduct 
the tree to lay in 
the branches on 
both sides at an 
equal angle with 
precision, which 
is quite requisite 
to maintain uni- 
formity of 
growth and vig- 
or. It has been 
considered neces- 
sary to treat this 
subject some- 
what minutely, 
for the pui'pose 
of givuig to per- 
sons wholly un- 
acquainted with 



knowledge of the 

principles on which it depends, and the mode 

execution. 



is pro 




of its 



268 PRUNixG. 

The form described above is one of tbe simplest of all 
espaliers, except the horizontal, described in treating of 
the apple and the pear; but whoever can train a tree in 
this manner well, can do it in all others, for the principles 
of growth are the same always ; and he who understands 
these, can mould his trees at pleasure, provided he can be- 
stow the necessary labor. The peach may be grown in 
any or all the espalier forms, and may thus be easily pro- 
tected by means of straw-mats, or evergreen branches. 

Laying in^ and fastening the trees to walls and trel- 
lises. — When trees are trained to a wall or fence, the 
branches are fastened in the desired position by means of 
shreds of cloth list, or strips of India-rubber half an inch 
wide, and from two to three inches long, according to the 
size of the branch to be laid in. Yery small nails are 
necessary to train on boards, but larger ones on a brick and 
stone wall. On a wire trellis, strings of bass matting are 
used instead of nails and cloth; and in fastening to sim- 
ple rails, small willows may be used. The principle to be 
observed, in laying in and fastening the branches and 
shoots of espalier trees, is that strong shoots must he laid 
in sooner than weaJcones^ and also more inclined from the 
vertical direction. A great deal may be done towards 
maintaining uniformity of growth in the different parts 
of a trained tree, by laying in the branches in a judicious 
and discriminatins^ manner. 

Section 5. — ^Puxxnustg and Management of the Plum. 

The plum bears its fruit on spurs produced on wood 
two years old and ujDwards, like the cherry (see Fruit 
Branches). On young trees these spurs are several years 
in the process of formation ; but when they commence to 
bear they endure, if well managed, for many years. They 
are generally furnished with wood buds on their lower 
parts 3 and when they begin to grow feeble, they ought 



THE APRICOT. 269 

to be renewed by cutting back. The plum is almost uni- 
versally grown as a standard, and the head may be con- 
ducted in the same manner as described for the cherry. 
The branches should be mainly regulated by summer 
pinching, to obviate the necessity of knife-pruning, that 
frequently gives rise to the gum. Some varieties of very 
rapid growth produce shoots three or four feet long in 
one season ; and if not shortened back at the spring pru- 
ning, the tree presents long naked branches in a short 
time. 

Standards and dw^arf standards may be root-pruned to 
advantage in small gardens, and where it is desirable to 
get them into early bearing. 

The plum may be trained in any of the espalier forms 
already described, and in the same manner. 

Section 6. — Pruning and Management of the Apricot, 

The Apricot, like the peach, has fruit and wood buds 
mixed on the shoots of one year's growth. It h,is also 
little fruit branches or spurs like the plum, which are 
capable of being renewed by shortening. 

The mode of pruning must therefore have in view the 
production of young wood, and maintaining the spurs in 
a vigorous and fruitful state. When neglected, it becomes, 
like the peach, denuded of young bearing wood in the in- 
terior, and enfeebled by over-fruitfulness. The shoots 
should therefore be shortened every season, according to 
their length, as recommended for the peach, to reduce the 
number of blossom buds, and favor the production of new 
bearing wood. 

It is very liable to the gum, and severe priming with 
the knife should be obviated as far as possible by pinch- 
ing. It may be conducted as a standard, pyramid, 
dwarf, or espalier, on the same principle as other trees. 
When trees become enfeebled by neglect or age, they can 



270 PRUNING. 

be renewed by heading down close to the stem. 'New 
and vigorous shoots are immediately produced that form 
a new tree. This heading down should be done very 
early in the spring, and the wounds be carefully covered 
with grafting wax. 

It is one of the first of our fruit trees to blossom in the 
spring, and therefore in some localities the flowers are 
killed by the frost. Where this is apprehended it may be 
well to plant on the north side of a wall, or something 
that will ratlier retard the period of blooming, and sub- 
ject it less to freezing and thawing. We have apricots 
trained here on a south aspect, yet in seven years the 
blossoms have not been killed, though in one or two in- 
stances they have been slightly injured. The espalier 
trees oflfer great facility for protection; and therefore, 
where spring frosts prevail, the apricot should be so 
trained. Mats or straw hurdles can be placed against 
them, both in spring and winter if necessary, with the 
same ease that a common frame is covered. We have 
used evergreen boughs for this purpose with great success. 

Section 7. — Pruning the Nectarine. 

The Nectarine is but a smooth-skinned peach. The trees 
are so similar in their mode of growth, buds, etc., that 
they can not be distinguished from one another, and, there- 
fore, whatever has been said respecting the pruning and 
treatment of one, applies with equal force to the other. 
This fruit is so infested with the curculio, that it is almost 
impossible to obtain a crop that will pay for culture in 
any part of the country in the open ground. Unless some 
more effective remedy be discovered than any yet known, 
it will soon have to retire from the garden, and take up 
its residence with the foreign grape in glass-houses. 

It produces excellent crops trained in espaliers on a 
back wall, or a center trellis of a cold-grapery. 



the grape. 271 

Section 8. — Hardy Native Grapes. 

Culture^ Priming^ and Training, — When we wrote the 
first pages of The Fruit Garden, in 1851, the culture 
of our native hardy grape was principally confined to 
a few vines in the gardens of amateur horticulturists. 
Vineyard culture was supposed to be adapted only to 
high, hilly locations, and, beyond a few hundred acres 
in the neighborhood of Cincinnati, O., was all unknown 
and untried. The varieties at that time considered val- 
uable for general cultivation were limited to a bare 
half-dozen. But the past twenty years have wrought 
wonderful changes, abounding in results of incalculable 
value. As we have said, at the time we first wrote, the 
list of valued varieties was but a bare half-dozen, and no 
attempts had then been made toward improvement by the 
production of new sorts from seed ; but now our lists of 
varieties grown from seed have become numerous, greatly 
improved in quality of fruit, with habits as to ripening, 
growth, etc., adapted to all soils and locations. The cul- 
ture of the vine has become, as it were, a feature belong- 
ing to every household and garden, while vineyards by 
the thousands of acres cover not only the hills but the 
broad prairies and other level lands of our States. The 
interest and extent of this branch of rural occupation have 
induced the application of thought and skill. So that 
while the past twenty years have wrought wonderful 
changes, the prospective advance in improvement of varie- 
ties and adaptation to soils and localities is an item be- 
yond computation. 

Varieties introduced since 1851. — In 1851 the varieties 
of hardy grapes known and described, numbered about 
twenty ; now their number is about two hundred, many 
of them, however, of inferior quality, and others so nearly 
resembling their parents as not to make them specially 
valuable. 



2T2 PRUNING. 

Acres in Cultivation. — In the absence of any reliable 
statistics no true account of the number of acres in culti- 
vation can now be written, but estimating from the re- 
ports of Grape Growers', Horticultural, and Agricultural 
Societies, we may safely assume that we have something 
over one million of acres, of which the territory west of 
the Rocky Mountains may claim 100,000, and the States 
east the remainder. 

Garden Culture. — The management of our native grapes 
is exceedingly simple. The vine appears to accommodate 
itself to a great variety of modes of treatment and give an 
abundance of fruit. But a well-pruned and trained vine, 
in a well-prepared soil, will assuredly compensate for all 
additional labor and care in its culture. 

Immense crops are raised throughout the country in the 
entire absence of any systematic mode of training or prun- 
ing. A single vine in a neighbor's garden, carried to the 
flat roof of an out-building, and allowed to ramble there at 
pleasure, without any care but a very imperfect pruning 
every spring, produces annually many bushels of fruit ; 
but the quality is, of course, greatly inferior to that pro- 
duced on well-pruned, trained, and dressed vines. A grape- 
vine neatly trained on a trellis, with its luxuriant, ample 
foliage and rich, pendulous clusters of fruit, is really one 
of the most interesting objects in a fruit garden, and at 
the same time one of the most profitable ; for the shade 
and ornament alone that it produces, are a sufiicient 
recompense for its culture. 

/Soils. — In planting a grape-vine the first point is to pre- 
pare a border for the roots. . 

This must, in the first place, be perfectly dry. If the 
soil or situation be wet or damp, it must be drained thor- 
oughly, so that no stagnant moisture can exist in it. In 
the next place, it must be deep ; three feet is a good depth, 
and it must not be less than two, where abundant and fine 
crops are expected. The mode of preparation is, to dig 



THE GRAPE. 273 

out the natural soil to the required depth, and the length 
and width necessary. For a single vine the border should 
be eisi-ht or ten feet lonsr and four wide. 

When the excavation is made, if the soil be stiff or 
damp, a few inches, or a foot deep, of small stones, brick, 
rubbish, etc., may be laid on the bottom as a sort of drain- 
age. On the top of this, deposit the compost for the 
border. This may consist of two parts of good, fresh, 
friable loam, one of old, well-rotted manure, and one of 
ashes, shells, broken bones, etc., all completely mixed with 
one another. The top of the border, wlien finished, should 
be at least a foot higher than the surface of the ground, 
so that it may still remain higher after settling. 

Position of the Vine or border. — A southern exposure 
is generally considered best, because there the vine is sup- 
posed to get the rays of the sun during the entire day ; 
but an eastern exposure, with sun three-fourths of the day, 
is often quite as successful, and especially so Avith the 
early-ripening varieties. A western is next best, while 
a northern exposure, with the sun's rays only one-half the 
day, should be avoided if possible, but if used the hardy 
early-ripening varieties only should be planted. 

Planting the Yme. — As in planting any other tree, the 
foots should be carefully spread out, and the fine earth 
worked well in amongst them. Its position should be ex- 
actly in the centre of the trellis it is to be trained on. 

The depth to which the roots are covered should never 
be less than four inches over the upper or crown line, and 
if the position is a southern one and the soil naturally 
dry, six to eight inches will be better. 

Distance Apart. — This must be regulated somewhat by 
the variety of vine planted ; the Concord, Ives', or other 
strong-growing sorts, requiring nearly double the room of 
the equally healthy and vigorous but short-jointed varie- 
ties, like the Delaware, Rebecca, etc. 

The Trellis. — Having the border thus prepared, the next 
12* 



274 



PRUNING. 



point is the trellis. The form of this will depend on the 
situation it is to occupy, and the mode of training to be 
adopted. Fig. 132 represents one intended for a wall. 
The principal bars or frame-work are inch-and-a-half 
boards, three inches wide, nailed together at the angles. 

It is intended for one vine, and may be the hight of 
the wall that it is intended to occupy. The vertical or 
upright bars are three feet apart and the cross ones six 
feet ; between them are rods of stout wire. The first or 
lowest cro«s-bar may be two feet from the ground. It is 





■—. 






, 
















































■ 


_ 


— 1 


- 1 


- 1 






-i. 1 
















— 




























_ 










~ 






























, 
















. - - 1 


- 




~ 1* 


\ - 


- 


1 T ! 




- 


- 


- I-I 



Fig. 133.— TRELLIS FOR A SINGLE VINE. 

fastened to the wall by iron hooks or brackets. The best 
and simplest mode of training a vine on such a trellis as 
this, is to produce two main branches or arms to be 
trained in a horizontal manner on the first cross-bar. 
From these two arms, permanent upright canes are 
trained, one to each of the upright bars of the trellis. 
These upright canes produce on their sides a succession 
of bearing shoots from year to year, being pruned after 
what is called the " spur " system. 

The trellis may also be made entirely of wires, using 
strong half-inch rods for the main uprights and cross-bars. 



THE GRAPE. 



275 



then No. 14 wire for intermediates, and these arranged to 
slide along the m.iin rods to meet the requirements of the 
vine during its growth. The main rods are secured to 
the wall by cylinder liook-staples. A neat and durable 
trellis for vines in the open garden along the border (see 
fig. 133) may be made by setting firm wooden posts, well 
braced, at each end of the line, then stretch one half-inch 
rod at say eighteen inches from the ground and another 
at the top of the posts, then use No. 9 wire for the re- 
maining horizontal lines, and at distances of twelve feet 
along the line sustain the horizontal rods and wires by 
upright bars of iron one inch wide by one-quarter inch 
thick, the lower end of each upright lot into a stone in 

it 




Fi'j:. 133. — TRELLIS OF WIRES AND POSTS. 

the ground, Now place upright wires, secured at the 
top and bottom, so that they will slide to meet the wants 
of the shoots of the vine. This wire may be of No. 14 
or 16. It is not absolutely essential that the trellis be 
built until the vines have grown one season ; but if the 
vines do well, the cost of supplying temporary stakes, 
etc., will more than balance the interest on the cost of 
the trellis. 

With the vine planted and trellis built we have next to 
understand 

Pruning. — It must first be observed that the grape- 
vine bears its fruit on shoots of the current year, produced 



276 



PECNING. 



from eyes on the previous year's wood. Fig. 134 repre- 
sents the old wood, with its bearing shoot. It is impor- 
tant to understand this, because it shows the necessity of 
keeping up a supply of young wood wherever we desire 
fruit to be produced. 

It is immaterial what method of training be pursued, 
this principle of production must always be remembered. 

To illustrate the pruning, we will suppose the plant to 
be one or two years old, as ordinarily sent out from the 
nursery. It may have only one shoot, or it may have sev- 
eral. However this may be, all are pruned off but the 




Fig. 134.— FRUITING BRANCH OI' THE GBA.PE. 

The cross-lice near the end shows -where it ouglit to be stepped. 

strongest, and it is cut back to m ithin two eyes of its 
base. These two eyes will produce shoots, and when they 
have made a growth of two or three inches, the weaker 
one is rubbed off and the strong one trained up. It is al- 
lowed to grow on until September, when the end of the 
shoot is pinched to mature and strengthen it. Any side 
shoots that appear during the summer should be pinched 
off, as well as any suckers that may appear about the 
roots. 

Fig. 135 shows the condition of the plant or vine at the 
close of the first season's growth, and the cross-mark the 
line at which to cut in pruning for the 

Second Year. — If the shoot of last year made a strong 
growth of ten or twelve feet, it may be now cut back to 
three eyes, and two canes be trained up ; but if it made 



THE GRAPE. 



277 



only a weak growth, it should again be cut back to Iavo 
eyes, and one shoot only trained up. 

Side shoots, laterals, or " thallons," as they are some- 
times called, should be carefully watch- 
ed, and as soon as a leaf has formed 
one inch in diameter the shoot should 
be pinched off just beyond it, with 
thumb and finger. In a short time this 
leaf will have become of full size, and 
the bud at its base have matured and 
again pushed forth a new shoot, which 
should be stopped as at first. This 
sometimes occurs two, three, or more 
times in a season. No suckers from, 
below the main canes should be per- 
mitted to glow. In September these 
canes are to be stopped as before, and 
no fruit allowed. 

Third Year. — We have now two 
strong canes with which we commence 
the framework of the vine. Each of 
these is cut back at the winter pruning 
to within two or three feet^ not huds^ of 
its base, bent in the form of a bow% and 
tied to the lower wire of the trellis. 
After the buds have started in the , 
spring, and made a growth of four to 
six inches, these canes should be loosen- 
ed and laid in, as in fig. 136, and fast- 
ened to the lower horizontal bar of 
the trellis. The bud on the end of 
each at c, will produce a shoot to con- 
tinue the prolongment in a horizontal yv^ 135. —vine at the 
direction, and a bud {a) on the upper end of the first yeau. 
side of each will produce a shoot to be trained to one of 
the upright bars — the first one on its division, or half of 



278 



PRUNING. 



its trellis ; all others are rubbed off, or the buds cut out. 
Thus each of these arms produces two shoots — an up- 
rio-ht and a horizontal one. During the summer, these 




J7JO-. 136. — VINE WITH ITS AKMS LAID DOWN. 

The arms to be shortened at c, the hiicl a to be allowed to produce a shoot. 

shoots are carefully tied in as required, the side shoots 
pinched off from time to time, and all suckers rubbed 
out as they appear. They are also stopped in September, 
as before. 

Fourth Fe^xr.— Each of last year's shoots is cut back 
to within three feet of its base. It may be necessary to 
cut the horizontal ones closer than the upright ones, to 
obtain another strong uptight shoot. The two upright 

canes already es- 
tablished will pro- 
duce a shoot from 
their tops, to con- 
tinue their exten- 
sion upwards, and 
the horizontal ones, 
as before, produce 
a shoot at the point 
to be carried out- 
wards, and one on 
the top to be train- 
ed up to one of 
the upright bars. This year several fruit shoots will 
be produced, on each of which one or two bunches of 
grapes may be ripened. In this way the vine goes on 
adding every season two new upright canes, and two or 
three feet in length to the previous ones, until the whole 
trellis is covered ; when the management will consist in 




Fig. 137. 

Vine with horizontal arms, A, A, and npriglit per 
niancnt canes, spui'-prmied. 



THE GRAPE. 279 

pruning the spurs every winter to about three eyes. Each 
fruit branch shouM only be allowed to produce two 
bunches of fruit, and when tho shoot has made four to six 
leaves beyond the last bunch of fruit the end should be 
pinched. This will, of course, cause the full development 
of the foliage, and in a short time the last bud will push 
out a side shoot or lateral, which must agnin and again 
be pinched as it grows. The object of this is to arrest 
the production of useless wood and turn the sap to the 
benefit of the fi-uit. Fig. 137 represents the appearance 
of a vine trained in this way. 

By such a system as this the trellis is covered in every 
part with bearing wood, the fruit and the foliage arc all 
exposed fully to the sun, a uniformity of vigor is main- 
tained between the different parts, and the appearance is 
beautiful. 

There are many other fonns of training, eacli of which 
has its merits and its advocates, but it should always be 
remembered that the tendency of sap in all vegetation is 
toward the extreme shoot, or end, and any system of 
training that assists that will soon render weak and barren 
the buds nearest the crown. The Thomery system, so 
called from its being practised in a. little village of that 
name in France, is one of the neatest and most systematic, 
as well as effective when thoroughly practised, but it re- 
quires considerable skill and much labor. It is, in brief, 
to form the trellis as we would for any other mode, only 
making it higher, the placing the vines at equal distances, 
and training the first and third with arms to the lower 
wire ; the second and fourth have the main stem carried 
up to the second wire, where the arms are formed. 

In fruiting, canes are grown annually from spurs along 
these arms, and tied as they grow to the upright wires on 
the trellis. It is estimated that to keep a vine in good 
bearing condition, it should not cover, at any tirpe, over 
six to eight feet of one wire of the trellis, and, as before 



280 PRUNING. 

stated, if the trellis is required to be high, it may be so 
done by first training the main stem of the vine to the 
hight of trellis wire upon which it is to be grown. 

Another mode, termed the Guyot system, consists in 
growing two canes upon the vine the second year, one of 
Avhich is cut back to two buds, and the other to two or 
three feet, and tied down to the lower wire (see fig. 138). 
Upon this lower or horizontal cane, tlje fruit is grown, 
and the shoots, as they extend, are tied to the next wire 
above. The two canes from the spur are grown to about 
five feet, when they are stopped in, and all the season the 
pinching of the side shoots, or laterals, is continued, and 




ri<?. 138. — VINE TRAINED ON THE GUYOT SYSTEM. 

all suckers rubbed away. This system is modified or 
changed in the hands of some growers, by not fruiting 
the horizontal cane the first year it is laid in, but pinching 
off all fruit, and carrying upright canes, to be stopped at 
the second or third wire, according to strength of vino, 
and on them to make the fruit the following year. This 
is again changed by some growers spurring back each al- 
ternate cane springing from the liorizontal one, and so 
fruiting alternately. Others, again, cut back these upriglit 
canes from the arm in proportion as they extend from the 
main vine. The upright cane nearest the main vine is thus 
left, say two feet, and the next from it fourteen inches, and 



THE GRAPE. 



281 



so reducing that the end of the arm has only a bud from 
which to grow a new cane (see fig. 139). This is sup- 
posed to assist in more equally distributing the flow of 
sap. The upright canes from the main vine are yearly 
cut back and renewed for use as arms when wanted. 
In cases where the modes of training above described 




Fig. 139.— VINE ON THE GUTOT SYSTEM. 

cannot be conveniently adopted, two or three poles, twelve 
to fifteen feet high, may be sunk in the ground, with a 
space of three or four feet between them at the bottom, 
and fastened together at the top, forming a cone around 
which the permanent canes may be trained in a spiral 
manner. 

This produces a very beautiful effect, and occupies com- 
paratively little space, but the grapes will not all ripen so 



282 ^ • PRUNING. 

well, nor will the training be so easy as on the flat surface 
of a trellis. 

Another way of arranging the poles is witli the tops 
outwardly, and securing them at distances by hoops. 
This mode gives light and air to the vine, but requires 
good stout poles, well set in the ground, to support it 
against strong winds. 

Very tasteful arbors may also be made over some of the 
walks, by training the vine over the wood-work, or wire 
frame, in the same manner as on a trellis. 

This is a very common practice and offers many advan- 
tages. Ingenious persons who care well for their garden, 
as well in its appearance as its productions, will conceive 
other plans still better adapted to their particular wants 
and taste than any of these ; but the main point must 
always be kept in view, that is, to provide for the foliage 
a free, open exposure to the sun. Any system that does 
not secure this, will fail to a greater or less extent. 

In the management of a grape-vine, as in the manage- 
ment of other trees, summer pruning, i. e., pinching the 
ends of shoots, not cutting away of foliage, is of great 
consequence. If a vine is left to itself all summer, or from 
one winter pruning to another, it will be found that a vast 
quantity of useless wood has been produced, and that to 
the serious detriment of the bearing shoots for the follow- 
ing year. The growing vine should be frequently visited, 
shoots tied in, strong ones checked, superfluous ones 
rubbed off, and every part kept in its proper place, and in 
a proper degree of vigor. 

VINEYARD CULTURE. 

A quarter of a century since, taking our knowledge of 
position, soils, etc., from the vineyards of Europe, we sup- 
posed that hill-sides, or warm, sheltered positions only, 
were suited to the culture of the grape, but thanks to the 



THE GRAPE. 283 

energy and spirit of trial which pervades the people of 
this country, we have now such a variety, and so suited 
to soils, climates, and localities, that the culture of the 
grape may be said to be adapted, in the way of profitable 
culture, to nearly every variety of soil, climate, or location. 

The quantity of grapes produced as an item of profit 
per acre, depends much upon soils, location, nearness to 
market, and variety grown. The statements of growers 
vary greatly in the amount, all the way from one and a 
half tons to five and six tons per acre, and the gross re- 
ceipts are given all the way from three hundred to eight 
hundred dollars. 

Such varieties as the Concord, Isabella, etc., it may be 
safely estimated, will produce one year with another from 
two to three tons, and the Delaware, Miles, etc., from one 
and a half to two tons per acre. Seasons, insects, and 
diseases, care and culture will, of course, vary results, and 
while the grower may one season obtain four tons to the 
acre, the same vines another year may not produce over 
one ton of fine, marketable fruit. 

It should, however, be remembered that while certain 
varieties of the grape can be grown in varied soils and 
locations, there is a requisite to be obtained for the pro- 
duction of the richest grapes and the best vines ; that 
requisite being in the sugar contained in the fruit, and only 
to be had in the grape when planted in soil and location 
exactly suited to its best development. 

The grower who seeks only for a table market, has first 
to select the variety to meet his soil and location, and 
then to grow large berries and bunches, well colored, and 
just sufficiently matured to make them vinously sweet. 
The grower for wine purposes must have another view — 
for his crop value depends upon the full maturation of the 
sugar in his grapes. 

Soils and Situation. — Although we have said such is 
the variety of grapes now cultivated that some one may 



284 PRUNING. 

be selected for nearly every soil and location, yet we do 
not thereby desire to convey the idea that all soils and lo- 
cations are equally adapted to the grape. Our experience 
and observation have taught us that it is only iipon a com- 
paratively few locations and soils that the best grapes are 
produced. A high elevation, sloping to the east and 
south, or, if a large lake or body of water lie on the 
north, then a gentle slope to the south, as along the south 
shore of Lake Erie, with a soil of clay underlaid with 
broken shale rock, is, perhaps, the best of all soils and lo- 
cations. The next to this is a rolling and moderately ele- 
vated position, adjacent to some large body of water, a 
stiff clay, with an underlay of shale rock ; next, is the 
same location with a clay soil resting on a gravel bed. 
The next is a good, rich, clayey loam, resting upon a sliale 
or gravel bed, and lying nearly level ; and the last we 
would use for the grape, in any case, is a light, sandy 
loam, resting either upon a compact yellow sand or a 
gravel. This last will produce fine, handsome bunches, 
of many varieties, but the durability of vines in such 
localities is doubtful. 

Shelter. — Shelter is not indispensable to all vineyards, 
but many localities exposed to violent winds may be 
benefited materially by the planting of groups or masses 
of trees, at proper distances, on the side from whence 
come the strongest winds. Evergreens ameliorate the 
temperature of the winds better than deciduous trees, 
but, in absence of them, the planting of Beech, Maple, 
etc., will assist in checking the liability to sudden 
changes, and protect the vines and fruit from the effects 
of the high wind, which, as we now write, October, 1871, 
has done much damage to our own vineyard. 

Preparation of the Soil. — The first preparation of the 
soil is an important item in the forming of a vineyard. 
The vigor and healthiness of the first and second years' 
growth of the vine often decide their future. No young 



TUE GRAPE. 285 

plants, with small fibrous roots, can be made to grow 
rapidly unless the soil be fine and rich. This applies to the 
grape-vine ; hence the necessity of making the soil for the 
planting of the vineyard deep and rich at the outset. If 
the land is level so that it can be plowed, then plow it as 
deep as possible with the common plow, and follow in 
the furrow with a subsoil plow, thus loosening the ground 
to a depth of not less than sixteen to twenty inches, the 
deeper the better. Hill-sides not too steep may be pre- 
pared by using a side-hill plow, and in plowing leaving 
a strip of three or four feet unplowed at distances of 
from eight to twenty feet, for the purpose of prevent- 
ing washing. Yery steep hill-sides must be dug with 
the pick and spade. If the ground is not what is called 
in good heart, but has been cropped yearly without 
manure, it should be dressed with a coat of ashes, bone- 
dust, or well-rotted barn-yard manure, and worked in with 
the harrow or cultivator. 

Time to Plant. — Where the soil is well drained, or of a 
light sandy or loamy character, and the climate not too se- 
vere, we should prefer to plant in the fall. In such case we 
should cover the entire plant with an inch or so of soil, to 
be removed as soon as the frost will permit, in the spring. 
The advantages of planting in the fall are, that as a rule 
the ground works better, and the work is therefore better 
done; add to this that the earth becomes well settled 
among the roots and often new fibres will be thrown out, 
ready for growth in spring. But we have planted at all 
periods, when the ground would work, from October to 
June, and, if our plants were in good condition, have been 
successful 

Kind of Plants. — Vines one or two years old, with 
well-ripened tops and roots, the latter one quarter of an 
inch in diameter, are perhaps the best, whether grown 
from single or triple-eyed cuttings, or by layers. 

Distance to Plant. — The distance apart at which to 



286 PRUNING. 

plant must depend upon the soil, variety, and mode of 
training, separately and collectively. Nearly all varieties 
have a tendency to make more wood in light, sandy, grav- 
elly, or loamy soils, than on clays. Strong, rampant- 
growing sorts, as the Concord, Ives', Norton's Virginia, 
Clinton, etc., on loamy or rich soils, should have at 
least ten or twelve feet space on the row, and the rows 
eight feet apart. If the ground is of a heavy clay, then 
the distance on the rows may be reduced two feet. For 
varieties like Catawba, lona, etc., eight feet apart each 
way is about right. Delaware, Walter, and other short- 
jointed varieties may be planted at six feet in the rows, 
the rows eight feet. The above, if the training is to be 
upon trellis, in any of the renewal modes. If the train- 
ing is to be on stakes, in the serpentine or bow system, 
then the distance may be reduced one foot each way. For 
very long pruning and training on trellis, the distance 
must be increased, some cultivators planting at twelve 
feet, with the vines eighteen feet apart in the row. 

Depth to Plant. — In heavy soils the upper tier of roots 
should always have at least four to five inches of earth 
over them, and in light or dry soils six to eight inches. 

Pruning — when and how. — For the annual or winter 
pruning the best time is as soon as the wood is ripened in 
the fall, but the work may be done any time until the 
warmth of spring starts a rapid circulation of sap. Never 
cut close to a bud, but leave an inch or two of wood be- 
yond. For summer ])runing, see Garden Culture, page 
276, and for the length of wood left at the winter pruning, 
refer to the method of training that it is proposed to 
practise. 

Modes of Training. — Under the head of Garden Cul- 
ture, we have described several modes of training that 
are sometimes practised in the vineyard, to which the 
reader is referred. In Ohio and Missouri, the mode gen- 
erally practised is called the renewal-cane system, and con- 



THE GRAPE. 287 

sists in yearly cutting away all the wood of two years 
old or more. The vine is taken, say at the close of the 
second summer, with, as snj)i)osed, three good strong 
canes grown from a point near the ground ; two of these 
canes are cut back to from four to six feet, according to 
the strength of the vine, and are tied to the lower wire 
in a bowed shape (see fig. 140), while the third cane is 
cut back to three or five buds, according to the age and 
vigor of the vine. The long bent canes are for fruiting, 
while on the shoots that grow from the centre cane all 
the fruit is rubbed oK The next season the bearing canes 




Fig-. 140.— BOW TRAINING. 

are cut away, two or three new canes are laid in for fruit, 
the centre cane cut back as before, for new shoots, and so 
from year to year the practice repeated. Some vignerons 
practise training and fruiting by leaving very long canes, 
with more or less of the laterals, these latter being pruned 
to one or two buds, from which, it is claimed, some of the 
best fruit is grown. Such varieties as the Clinton, Nor- 
ton's Virginia, Concord, etc., are by some considered best 
when grown in this way. 

Training upon stakes is a practice esteemed by many 
as giving better circulation of air among the vines. Some 
use two stakes, on one of which two canes of the previ- 



288 



PRUNING. 



ous year's growth are tied spirally (see fig. 141), and on 
the other the new shoots are conducted as they grow, and 
tied so as not to be removed. In the winter pruning these 
canes are shortened, and those that 
bore last year are cut down for the 
production of new canes. 

Another practice is to use three 
stakes, on the centre one of which 
the new shoots are grown, and on 
the two outside ones a cane is train- 
ed for fruiting. Another system 
of training on stakes is to cut back 
the vine to three or four eyes for 
fruiting, and two or so for new 
canes ; the whole, then, as they 
grow, are trained to the one stake. 
This practice answers for some weak 
growers, or for those with sparse 
foliage, but is not advisable with 
strong-growing, vigorous sorts. 

For more complete details of 
modes of grape-growing and prun- 
ing, we refer to the various valuable books devoted ex- 
clusively to the subject. 




Fig. 141 



-SPIRAL TRAIN- 
ING. 



CULTUEE OF FOREIGN GKAPES IN COLD VINERIES. 



Repeated experiments made during many years in all 
parts of the country, have convinced people generally that 
the delicious varieties of the foreign grape cannot be pro- 
duced with any considerable degree of success in the open 
air. A large number of the hardiest French and German 
sorts have been tested in our ground, but not one of them 
has borne satisfactorily. A few good bunches have been 
obtained the first season or two under very favorable cir- 



THE GRAPE. 289 

curastances ; but after that the failure is complete. This 
has rendered glass, heat, and shelter necessary. 

The Buildings. — These are constructed of all sizes 
and at various degrees of expense. Some have single 
lean-to roofs ; others have double or span roofs. The 
walls of some are built of brick or stone ; others are 
wholly of wood. The cheapest and simplest structure 
of this kind is the lean-to. The back may be nine or 
ten feet high, composed of strong cedar posts six feet 
apart, and boarded up on both sides. The ends arc 
made in the same manner. The front may be two or 
three feet high, made of posts, and boards or planks, same 
as the back. Sills or plates are put on the front and back 
wallsi, and then rafters at three and a half to four feet 
apart. The sashes slip in between the rafters, and rest on 
a strip of wood on their sides. Unless the grapery be 
very small, the sash should be in two parts, the lower one 
twice as long as the upper, and fixed ; the upper to slide 
down over the under one on pulleys, to ventilate the house. 
Doors are in each end at the back, and means are provided 
for admitting air in front by the opening of boards like 
shutters. 

But a cheap structure is not the best economy, and while 
such may be admissible, on a merely commercial place, it 
would be out of character in any neatly kept grounds. 
The maxim, that " whatever is worth doing is worth 
doing well," holds good in the construction of a grapery, 
and therefore, however plain the architecture of the de- 
sign, the materials should be of the best, the arrangement 
convenient, and the putting together done in a workman- 
like manner. 

Lean-to or single-roof houses may frequently be built 
against the south or east side of a wall or out -building, 
and thus can be constructed cheaply, but a span-roofed 
house is much the best. 

Fig. 142 gives a good representation of a single-roof 
13 



290 



THE GEAPE. 



ho 1133 against a wall, and fig. 143 represents a span cur- 
vilinear - roofed 
house, 20 X 30 
feet, Avhich we 
have built upon 
our own grounds 
and found very 
successful. 

Fig. 144 is a 
representation of 
a straight - roof 
house, for cold 
grapery, taken 
from Woood- 
ward's Graperies. 

Position of 
Spouse. — ^A south 
or south - east 
fronting is the 
best for a lean-to 
house, and for 
span roofs a north 
and south line af- 
fords the most 
equal amount of 
sunlight. 

I'he border is 
made for the 
vines outside the 
front wall, or part 
outside and part 
in, twelve to six- 
teen feet wide, 
also two or three 
deep. This is 
done by digging a trench or pit the length and width ; 




THE GRAPE. 



291 



draining it thoroughly, that not a drop of water can lodge 
about it. Then lay a few inches of small stones, broken 
bricks, shells, etc., in the bottom for drainage ; and fill up 
the remainder, six inches to two feet above the level of 
the ground, and sloping outwards, with a good compost, 
of three-fourths surface loam (turf from an old pasture), 
and the other of well-rotted stable manure. All these 
must be prepared by frequent turning and mixing a few 
months beforehand. 

The vines may be one or two years old, and are prefcr- 




Fig. 143.— SPAN CURVILriSrEAR-ROOFED HOUSE. 

able raised in pots from single eyes. They should be 
planted in the spring. A plant is placed under each rafter 
outside, or inside, and carried through under the Avail 
into the house. The stem is cut back to two or three 
eyes, and when these break the strongest shoot is selected, 
and the others pinched off. This shoot is trained, as it 
grows, to a light trellis of iron, or thick wire rods attached 
to the rafter, and twelve to fifteen inches from the glass. 
If all goes well, it reaches the top of the house that sea- 
son. In September the top may be pinched to check the 
flow of sap, and throw it more into the lateral buds to 
increase their strength. During the summer no other 
shoot is allowed to grow but this. 



292 



THE GRAPE. 



Fruning.—ln November or December it is taken down, 
pruned, if according to the spur system, which is the 

simplest, to within 
three or four feet of 
its base, laid on the 
ground, and covered 
with leaves, evergreen 
boughs, or mats. There 
it remains till the buds 
begin to swell in the 
spring, when it is 
again fastened to the 
trellis. The shoot from 
the terminal bud con- 
tinues the cane, and no 
fruit is allowed on it. 
These below it pro- 
duce lateral shoots, 
from each of which a 
bunch of grapes may 
be taken, and each of 
these must be stopped 
at three eyes above 
the bunch ; and this is 
repeated as often as 
necessary, to give the 
fruit the whole benefit 
of the sap. The lead- 
ing shoot is again 
stopped in September 
by pinching off its 
point, to increase the 
vigor of its lateral 
buds. In the fall. 



■ ^' 'mm 

when the leaves have droj^ped, the vine is again taken 
down. The leader is pruned back to within three to 




THE GRAPE. 293 

four feet of the old wood. The laterals that have borne 
are pruned to three eyes, and it is then covered up. This 
is the routine of spur training. In long cane pruning, the 
young shoot, after the first season's growth, is cut back to 
three eyes, and the next season two shoots are trained up. 
The next season the strongest is selected for fruit, and 
pruned to about three feet ; each of the eyes left will pro- 
duce a fruit shoot, from which one bunch only will be 
taken. The weaker cane is cut back to one eye, and this 
produces a shoot for next year's bearing, and so this goes 
on. When the vine becomes strong, several bearing canes 
may be provided for every season. This renewal or long 
cane is very simple, and requires much less cutting than 
the spur. It also produces a superior quality of fruit, but 
in general not so large a quantity. 

Thinning the i^*w/^.— When the fruit attains the size 
of a garden pea, one third of the smaller ones should be 
cut out carefully wdth pointed scissors (see implements) 
that are prepared for this purpose. The object of this is, 
to allow the fruits to swell out to their full size. Varieties 
that produce very compact bunches require more severe 
thinning than those of a loose, open bunch. 

Cleaning the Vine. — At the time the vines are taken 
from their winter quarters and trellised, they should be 
well washed with a solution of soft soap and tobacco- 
water, to kill all eggs of insects, and remove all loose 
bark and filth that may have accumulated on them during 
the season previous. The house, too, should be cleaned 
and renovated at the same time. 

Syringing the Vines and the Fruit. — Every one who 
has a grapery must be provided with a good hand-syringe, 
for this is necessary during the whole season. As soon as 
they begin to grow, they should be occasionally syringed 
in the morning, except while they are in bloom. After 
the fruit has set, they should be syringed every evening, 
and the house kept closed until the next forenoon when 



294 OECHAED HOUSES. 

the sun is out "warm. The inside border should receive 
frequent and ample supplies of water. In a dry time the 
outside border should also be freely watered. 

Regulating the Temperature. — When the temperature 
exceeds ninety to one hundred degrees, air should be ad- 
mitted at the top, and, if necessary, at the bottom. The 
admission of abundance of air is one of the important 
features of the management of the grapery. 

To Prevent Mildew. — This may be looked for in July. 
Syringing freely night and morning, and the admission of 
air during the warmest hours of the day, are the best pre- 
ventives of this disease. Dust sulphur on the floor, at the 
rate of one pound for every twenty square feet ; and if the 
mildew continues to increase, syringe the vines in the even- 
ing, and dust the foliage with sulphur. 

This is but an imperfect outline of the management of 
a cold grapery. Those who wish full information on all 
points of the subject, should consult some of the special 
treatises on the culture of the grape under glass. 

OECHAED HOUSES. 

The advantages of glass structures for the growing of 
all varieties of fruits are but yet little appreciated. By 
means of the orchard house, j)eaches, apricots, and indeed 
all varieties of fruits may be grown without fear of insects 
or frost. 

By it the owner of a small garden or city lot can secure 
to himself a large amount of fruit grown in a small space, 
and at a time when it cannot be purchased. 

To the commercial fruit-grower the orchard house of- 
fers pecuniary profit from the sale of fruit ; and to the 
nurseryman it is becoming yearly more and more a neces- 
§' ty, toward testing the correctness of new varieties from 
'" hich to propagate. 

The construction of an orchard house is similar to that 



ORCnARD HOUSES. 



295 



■ : n gr.ipcry, except that it should be higher at the sides, 
wiih the roof more flattened, in order that the trees may 
be brought as near the glass as possible. Ventilation is 
an important item, as too great heat, or a confined atmos- 
phere, are incompatible with success. A span-roof house 
should have ventilators all along the bottom and top, and 
lean-to houses require even more openings than span-roofs. 

Mr. Rivers, of England, who first set in motion the art 
of fruiting trees in the house, built his first houses like 
sheds, or what is termed lean-to, and so far the most of 
the structures erected in this country for this purpose 
have been of that style. The house of Mr. Pullen, in 
New Jersey, which has proved a commercial success, is 
fourteen feet wide and one hun- 
dred feet long. The house of 
Mr. Lovering is the same width, 
with the back wall twelve feet 
and the front wall four feet 
high. Fig. 145 is an end view, 
taken from Dr. Norris' work on 
*' Fruit Trees in Pots," in which 
the interior arrangement is 
given as follows: "The fruit 
border (three feet six inches 
wide) is raised nine inclies above 
the walk (which is two feet six inches wide) ; the first 
back border is three feet wide and raised sixteen inches 
above the walk. The second back border is raised one 
foot above the front one and is four feet wide." 

In " Peach Culture," by J. A. Fulton, a lean-to house, 
twelve feet wide by fifty feet long, is described, with the 
back wall fourteen feet high and the front four feet (sec 
fig. 146). In this house it will be seen that the lower range 
of sash is hung on hinges to a plate securing the lower 
ends of the upper sash, and no other ventilation is sup- 
plied, except by the opening of doors. It is designed, in 




Fig. 145.— END VIEW OF HOUSE. 



296 



ORCHARD HOUSES. 



this house, to grow the plants in the ground, Dot in pots 
or tubs — a practice which we, from our own experience, 
cannot recommend. 

Some years since we built upon our own grounds a span- 
roof house, twenty-five by seventy feet, which we have 
used very successfully (fig. 147). The interior arranire- 
ment is with border along the sides, a walk three feet wide 




F.y;. 146.— PEACH-HOUSE {from Fulton^ s Peach Culture). 

all around, and a bed in center, the beds or tables all on 
the same level. 

The advantages of a span-roof house over a lean-to, by 
the greater and more equable difiusion of light, and the 
more tasteful appearance whicli can be made both out- 
side and inside, point to it as the most desirable. 

Fig. 148 shows a section of a movable house on iron 
supports, the house fourteen feet wide and constructed 
of length as desired. These houses are built in England 
— our sketch is from Pearson — ^but we do not know of any 
in this country. 

Although the first growing by Mr. Rivers vras of trees 
in a house free from artificial heat, yet he has found the 
advantage of heating, and it is proved that with us a 



ORCHARD HOUSES. 



297 



certain amount of artificial heat is necessary, in order to 
get the fruit much in advance of what it would be out 
of doors. 

Varieties of Trees. — The peach, nectarine, apricot, plum, 
and cherry are the fruits for which the orchard-house may 
be said to have been specially designed, and if the house 
be small, they alone should occupy it. Large houses will, 
of course, give room for the pear and apple, for the fig, 
orange, etc. 

It is not absolutely necessary that the varieties be 




Fig. 147.-~SFAN-EOOF ORCHARD-HOUSE. 

worked on stocks as dwarfs, but when such can be had, 
the peach and nectarine on the plum, and the cherry on 
the mahaleb,will be found to assist toward early maturity, 
and the compressed artificial growth which the restricted 
limits of this mode of culture command. 

Trees hi Tubs or Pots. — The first orchard-house grow- 
ing of trees was in pots, but we have found in practice 
that boxes of about fifteen inches diameter at top, ten 
inches at bottom, and twenty inches deep, with the bot- 
tom board set an inch or more above the side pieces (see 
fig. 149), and with holes for drainage, gave us better stow- 
age when we desired to pack away the trees for winter, 
and were also less liable to accident and injury, which 
sometimes occur from breaking of pots. It has been 
asserted that the porous nature of the pots was an advan- 
tage, but we found success in the boxes, as do hundreds of 
13* 



298 



ORCHARD HOUSES. 



others who for years grow oleanders, figs, oranges, etc., 
in tubs. One-year-old trees from the nursery are the best 
with which to commence. 

Management, — The young tree being potted, using good, 
fresh turf loam two parts, and one part well-decomposed 
manure, cut it back to about one foot, and if there are 
any side branches grown, cut them back to one or two 
bnds. The first season the tree may be grown in the open 
air, the pots or boxes plunged in the ground. As the 




Fig. 148.— SECTION OF MOVABLE HOUSE ON IRON SUPPORTS. 



young shoots grow, the side branches should be stopped 
when they have made a foot or so of growth. Watering 
must be attended to during the heat of summer, but as 
autumn approaches it should be graduated, in order to 
have the wood ripen off finely. 

In autumn, as soon as the wood is well ripened, or on 
approach of cold weather, the trees should be removed 
to the house, the boxes plunged in soil, and the whole 
covered with mats or straw. If the house is not ready, 
the trees may be stacked on their sides in a shed, and pro- 
tected by having straw or leaves packed in, among, around, 
and over them. 

We have found this practice quite successful and much 
superior to that of a cellar. 



OKCHARD HOUSES. 



If fire heat is to be used, it should be started somctimo 
in January, and the temperature by day kept at from 80^ 
to 90°, sinking at night to from 40° to 50°. If the fruit 
is to be obtained by means 
only of the protection and 
heat of the gl'^ss, then the 
trees should remain covered 
until all risk of severe frosts 
has passed. As the season 
advances the heat will, of 
course, be increased. Great 
care should be given to the 
watering, keeping the trees 
always moist, but never wet, 
and also to ventilation. The 
spring or winter pruning is 
best done just as the trees 
come into bloom, but if the 
summer pinching is attend- 
ed to there will be little or 
no occasion for any winter 
pruning. 

The introduction of bees 
into the house at blooming 
time will assist greatly in fer- 
tilization. In their absence 
the tree should be occasion- 
ally jarred by a slight blow 

from the hand. As the period of ripening approaches, or 
as soon as they begin to show color, the trees should be 
removed to a warm, sheltered spot in the oj^en air, and 
the boxes plunged in the ground. During the season, or 
until the tubs are removed to the open air, for ripening 
the fruit, they should be lifted and turned every ten dayy 
to check the growth of outside roots. Watering wif.i 
liquid manure assists in giving vigor to the tree, and sI:a3 




TREE GROWN IN BOX. 



^00 



CRCHARD HOUSES. 



to the fruit. The aphis and red spider are best kept in 
check by fumigating with tobacco. 

Propagating Houses. — Small glass houses for the pur- 
pose of propagating rare plants, keeping plants in winter, 
or starting them forward in the spring, may be built very 
cheaply, and, attached to any considerable garden, may be 
made both profitable and pleasantly useful. 

The span-roof house costs really but a trifle more than 




Fig. 150. — SECTION OF PROPAGATING-HOUSE. 

a lean-to, when the surface covered is estimated, and it is 
so much more ornamental, so much easier managed, and 
the opportunity to give plants the position and light re- 
quired, is so much greater, that we wonder it is not more 
generally adopted. 

It is not always possible to select a location in just the 
best place, but when this can be done the ends of the 
house should be north and south, and it should be where 
perfect drainage may be had, after having excavated three 
feet deep, for the purpose of sinking the side walls be- 
]ov7 the level of the ground, and thereby reducing the ex- 
psnse of heating. Twelve feet is a good width, while 
the length may be regulated to suit the proprietor's wants. 



THE FILBERT. 301 

Heating with hot water is unquestionably best, but 
many good houses are now, and will continue to be, 
wnrraed by means of brick flues, or, what is perhaps 
better and cheaper, by sections of stone pipe. 

A series of connected houses, that we have built, are 
twelve feet wide and eighty feet long, and we know of 
notliing better, for a single house, than one of these by 
itself (fig. 150). In this the sashes are fixed permanently to 
the ridge-pole and plate, and ventilation obtained by cutting 
away the sash-bars at top, at distances of ten feet, and 
forming a frame to be huni]^ on hinores. Movable sash- 
bars or frames are by some preferred, and where there is 
any other use for them than as applied to the house 
proper, they are probably best. 

Bottom heat is obtained when the house is heated by 
flues or pipes, by simply inclosing the space along one 
side, below the bench, with boarding, leaving the upper 
board hung on hinges, so that the heat may be let into 
the house as required. 

Tanks of hot water as the base for forming bottom- 
heat are also used, and when great care is practised they 
are of the best ; but there is a liability to dampness in 
houses so heated, and in extreme cold weather it is diffi- 
cult to get heat in the main part of the house witliout too 
much for the plants. 

Section 9. — Pruning and Trainincj the Filbert, 

The filbert in this country is a neglected fruit. It is 
seldom found in the garden, and more rarely still in a pro- 
lific, well-grown condition. Of all other trees, it requires 
regular and proper pruning to maintain its fruitfulness. 
The blossoms are monoecious — that is, the male organs, 
which are in long catkins (fig. 37), are produced from, one 
bud, and the female flowers fi'om another. 

The blossom or fruit buds are i)roduced on shoots of 



302 THE FILBEET. 

one year's growth, and bear fruit the next. The fruit is 
borne in a duster on tlie end of a small twig produced 
from the bud bearing the female organs. 

It is said that in the neighborhood of Maidstone, county 
of Kent, England, the filbert orchards occupy several 
hundred acres, and from these the principal supply of 
the London market is obtained. One acre has been known 
to produce £50 sterling, or |250 worth, in one season. 
The pruning of these Kent growers is supposed to be 
most perfect of its kind, especially for their soil and cli- 
mate. It is described as follows in the " Transactions of 
the London Horticultural Society : " 

'• The suckers are taken from the parent plant generally 
in the autumn, and planted in nursery beds (being first 
shortened to ten or twelve inches), where they remain 
three or four years. They are slightly pruned every year, 
in order to form strong lateral shoots, the number of 
which varies from four to six. But though it is the usual 
practice to plant the suckers in nursery beds, I would ad- 
vise every one to plant them where they are to remain, 
whether they are intended for a garden or a larger planta- 
tion ; and after being suffered to grow without restraint 
for three or four years, to cut them down within a few 
inches of the ground. From the remaining part, if the 
trees are well rooted in the soil, five or six strong shoots 
will be produced. Whichever method is practised, the 
subsequent treatment of the trees will be exactly the 
same. 

'' In the second year after cutting down, these shoots 
are shortened ; generally one third is taken off. If very 
weak, I would advise that the trees be cut quite down a 
second time, as in the previous spring ; but it would bo 
much better not to cut them down until the trees give 
evident tokens of their being able to produce shoots 
of sufficient strength. When they are thus shortened, 
that they may appear regular, let a small hoop be placed 



THE FILBERT. 303 

■within the branches, to which the shoots are to bo fas- 
tened at equal distances. By this practice two consid:3r- 
ablo advantages will be gained — the trees will grow more 
regular, and the middle will be kept hollow, so as to ad- 
mit the influence of the sun and air. 

" In the third year a shoot will spring from each bud ; 
these must be suffered to grow until the following autumn, 
or fourth year, when they are to be cut off nearly close 
to the original stem, and the leading shoot of the last year 
shortened two-thirds. 

" In the fifth year several small shoots will arise from 
the bases of the side branches which were cut off the pre- 
ceding year. These are produced from small buds, and 
would not have been emitted had not the branch on which 
they are situated been shortened, the whole nourishment 
being carried to the upper part of the branch. It is from 
these shoots that fruit is to be expected. These produc- 
tive shoots will in a few years become very numerous, 
and many of them must be taken off, particularly the 
strongest, in order to encourage the production of the 
smaller ones, for those of the former year become so ex- 
hausted that they generally decay ; but whether decayed 
or not, they are always cut out by the pruner, and a fresh 
supply must therefore be provided to produce the fruit in 
the succeeding year. The leading shoot is every year to 
be shortened two-thirds, or more should the tree be weak, 
and the whole hight of the branches must not exceed 
six feet. 

" The method of pruning above detailed might, in a few 
words, be called a method of spurring, by which bearing 
shoots are produced, which otherwise would have had no 
existence. Old trees are easily induced to bear in this 
manner, by selecting a sufficient number of the main 
branches, and then cutting the side shoots off, nearly close, 
excepting any should be so situated as not to interfere 
with the others, and there should be no main branch di- 



304 THE FILBERT. 

rected to that particular jDart. It will, however, be two 
or three years before the full effect will be produced. By 
the above method of pruning, thirty hundred per acre 
have been grown in particular grounds and in particular 
years, yet twenty hundred is considered a large crop, and 
rather more than half that quantity may be called a more 
usual one ; and even then the crop totally fails three years 
out of five ; so that the annual average quantity cannot 
be reckoned at more than five hundred per acre. 

" When I reflected upon the reason of failure happening 
so often as three years out of five, it occurred to me that 
possibly it might arise from the excessive productiveness of 
the other two. In order to insure fruit every year, I have 
usually left a large proportion of those shoots which, from 
their strength, I suspected would not be so productive of 
blossom-buds as the shorter ones ; leaving them more in 
a state of nature than is usually done, not pruning them 
so closely as to weaken the trees by excessive bearing, 
nor leaving them so entirely to their natural growth as to 
cause their annual productiveness to be destroyed by a 
superfluity of wood. These shoots, in the spring of the 
year, I have usually shortened to a blossom-bud." 

Such is the management of these celebrated filbert 
growers, their principal object being to keep the trees 
small, open in the center, and covered in every part with 
fruit spurs. A similar system, but less severe in the cut- 
ting back, may be pursued here ; some such course of 
treatment as recommended for the head of the quince as 
to form and fruitfulness. 

Instead of relying on the spring pruning to subdue 
vigor and induce fruitfulness, pinching should be practised 
during the summer ; for this not only checks the produc- 
tion of wood, but of roots. Root pruning, too, may be 
safely practised in August, when pruning and pinching of 
the branches prove insufficient. 

In all cases, suckers must be completely eradicated 



THE FIG. 305 

every season, or as soon as they make their appearance. 
The want of pruning, and the growth of suckers, make 
the filbert in nearly all our gardens completely barren ; a 
rank production of wood only is obtained year after year. 
We find that grafting the finer kinds on stocks of the 
common filbert raised from seed, renders the trees much 
more prolific naturally, and also smaller in size. We have 
trees here now bearing only three years from the graft ; 
the stems are eighteen inches to two feet high, and they 
are very pretty. Their natural vigor is greatly subdued 
by the graft. The French conduct them in pyramids with 
great success, on the same principle as other trees. 

Sectiox 10. — Culture, Pruning, and Training of 
THE Fig. 

In the ISTorthem States the fig is cultivated with very 
little success in the open ground, but fine crops are pro- 
duced in the vineries recommended for foreign grapes ; 
and it is in these only that its culture can yield any con- 
siderable degree of satisfaction, north of Maryland at 
least. 

Propagation. — The surest and best mode is by layers. 
A large branch may be layered in the spring, and will be 
sufficiently rooted in the fall to be planted out. Cuttings 
also strike freely, and make good plants in one season. 
All the modes of propagation recommended for the quince, 
may be applied to the fig. Cuttings are generally pre- 
ferred in the South. 

Soil. — It succeeds in any good, rich, warm garden soil, 
suitable for other fruit trees. In very light or dry soils 
the fruits fall before maturity, as they require at that 
season in particular a large amount of moisture ; but it is 
better that it bo too dry than too moist, for in the latter 
case nothing but soft unripe and unfruitful shoots are ob- 
tained, whilst in the former, moisture can be supplied at 



306 THi: FIG. 

the time when it may be required. The wood should be 
short-jointed, the buds not more than one-fourth an inch 
apart. In England dry chalky soils produce the finest 
crops. 

Pruning.— The fig is somewhat peculiar in its mode of 
bearing. No blossoms appear, but the figs are produced 
on the stem, appearing at first like buds. The young 
shoots of last season bear fruit the next ; and the shoots 
produced during first growth produce fruit the same season, 
and this is called the " second crop." These never ripen, 
and should never be encouraged where the plants require 
protection. In warm climates, as in some of our South- 
ern States, these two crops ripen perfectly, though the 
first from the previous season's wood is larger and better. 

This mode of bearing shows that little pruning is neces- 
sary, beyond the cutting away of old or worn-out branch- 
es, and thinning and regulating others. Unfruitful trees, 
in a moist and rich ground, should be pinched in summer 
to check their growth, and concentrate the sap more in 
the lateral buds. Root-pruning^ too, may be applied as 
on other trees. Mr. Downing recommends this in his 
" Fruits and Fruit Trees." 

Training. — Wherever the trees are hardy enough to 
withstand the winter without protection, as in the South- 
ern States or California, they may be grown in the form 
of low standards, as recommended for the peach ; but 
when protection is required, where the brandies have to 
be laid down and covered during winter, they must be 
grown in stools or bushes, with a dozen or more stems 
rising from the socket. These are easily laid doAvn and 
covered, and easily brought up to their places again, in 
the way that raspberry canes are managed. To produce 
this form, the young tree is planted in the bottom of a 
trench about a third deeper than in ordinary cases, and a 
basin is left around it. At the end of the first season's 
growth, it is cut back to a few inches of the base; there 



THE GOOSEBERRY. 307 

a number of shoots are produced. As these grow up the 
earth is drawn in around them, to favor the production 
of other shoots at their base ; and in this way it is man- 
aged until the requisite number of branches is obtiined. 

Protection. — Trained in this way, a trench is opened 
for each branch, or three or four may be put in one trench, 
if convenient ; they are fastened down with hooked pegs 
as in layering, and covered with a foot of earth, which 
should be drawn up in the mound form, to throw off the 
water. 

The fig is sometimes grown, at the ^N'orth, in large pots 
or tubs, and stored in a cool cellar or pit during winter. 

JRipening the Fruit. — In fig-growing countries, and to 
some extent here, there is a practice of applying a drop 
of olive oil to the eye of the fruit, to hasten its maturity. 
This is usually done by means of a straw. 

Training in Graperies. — The back wall of a lean-to 
cold vinery is an excellent place for the fig. It may be 
trained on a trellis in a fan or horizontal manner, but 
severe pruning must not be practised to produce regu- 
larity. 

Section 11. — Pijuning the Gooseberry. 

The gooseberry produces fruit buds and spurs on wood 
two years old and upwards. Fig. 151 represents the two- 
year-old wood, A^ with fruit buds (7, (7, and B, the one-year- 
old wood with wood buds, 7), J). Of these wood buds, 
the upper one next season would produce a shoot, and the 
lower ones would probably be transformed into fruit buds. 
At the base of one of the fruit buds, C, may be seen a 
small wood bud, d ; this during next season will produce 
a small shoot or spur. The great ])oint to aim at in this 
country must always be to maintain a vigorous condi- 
tion ; the moment the plant becomes feeble or stinted, the 
fruit is so attacked with mildew or rust as to be utt"rly 



308 



THE GOOSEBERRY. 



worthless. Hence it is that young plants usually bear ex- 
cellent crops for the first or second year, while after that the 
mildew is in some varieties and situations 
unconquerable. 

The bush should have a stem of three or 
four inches in hight, and a head composed 
of five or six main branches placed at equal 
distances and inclined outwards, to prevent 
denseness and confusion in the center. These 
main branches should be furnished with 
bearing wood in all their length. The pro- 
duction of such a bush may be accomplished 
by the following means : 

Supposing the young plant as it comes 
from the nursery to be either a two-year-old 
cutting, or a one-year bedded layer; in 
either case it will have a stem of two or 
three inches at least, and a few branches at 
the top. Before planting, all the buds on 
the part of the stem to be below the ground 
are cut out, to prevent them from producing 
suckers. Among the branches, three of those 
most favorably situated, are selected for the 
formation of the head, and the others are 
The reserved branches are 
two - year - old ^j^^^ ^^^ l)ack"' to two or three buds; from 

wood ; 5, one . ' 

year ; c, c, fruit- these One shoot is taken on each branch, and 
i)ucis;7>,z>,wood- ^^^ others are pinched to favor this. By this 

buds ; d, a small i n i i i • 

wood-bud at the method wc shail have three stout shoots m 
base of fruit- tbe fall. If the plant had been well rooted, 
instead of being newly transplanted, we 
might have taken two shoots instead of one from each 
shortened branch. These three branches are cut back at 
the next pruning to three or four buds, and from each 
two new shoots are taken, giving at the end of that sea- 
son six stout young shoots, situated at equal distances. 



Fig. 151. 

Branch of the 

gooseberry. A, cut out entirely, 
year - old ^Y,en cut l)ack 



THE GOOSEBERRY. 309 

At the next or third pruning these branches are cut back 
about one-half, in order to pioduce lateral branches and 
fruit spurs. At the fourth pruning, the leading shoot is 
shortened one-third to one-half. Any lateral branches not 
required to fill up spaces, or sucli as are improperly- 
placed, are cut back to three or four buds, so as to 
convert them into fruit-branches. 

In this way the priming is conducted from year to year. 
When the plants become feeble from overbearing, the 
fruit branches may be headed down and replaced by new 
vigorous shoots. The better way, however, to provide 
for this difficulty, is to raise young plants from layers or 
cuttings, to be at once substituted for such as fall a victim 
to the mildew. A northern aspect, a cool, damp, substan- 
tial soil, and abundance of manure, are all necessary, in 
connection with the pruning described, to produce fine 
gooseberries. 

The famous growers of Lancashire, England, outdo all 
the world besides in the production of large gooseberries. 
The Encyclopaedia of Gardening says : " To efiect this 
increased size, every stimulant is applied that their inge- 
nuity can suggest ; they not only annually manure the 
soil richly, but also suri'ound the plants with trenches of 
manure for the extremities of the roots to strike into, and 
form round the stem of each plant a basin, to be mulched, 
or manured, or watered, as may become necessary. When 
a root has extended too far from the stem it is uncovered, 
and all the strongest leaders are shortened back nearly 
one-half of their length, and covered with fresh marly 
loam, well manured. The efiect of this pruning is to in- 
crease the number of fibres and spongioles, which form 
rapidly on the shortened roots, and strike out in all direc- 
tions among the fresh, newly stirred loam, in search of 
nutriment." 

They also practise what they term suckling their prize 
fruit. By preparing a very rich soil, and by watering, 



310 THE CURRANT. 

and the use of liquid manure, shading and thinning, the 
large fruit of the prize cultivator is produced. Not con- 
tent with watering at root, and over the top, the Lanca- 
shire connoisseur, when he is growing for exhibition, places 
a small saucer of water immediately under each goose- 
berry, only three or four of which he leaves on a tree ; 
this he technically calls suckling. He also pinches off a 
great part of the young wood, so as to throw all the 
strength he can into the fruit. 

Section 12. — Pruning and Management of the 
Currant. 

The red and white currants bear, like the gooseberry, on 
wood not less than two years old, and therefore the same 
system of pruning may be applied to them. The most 
convenient and easily-managed form in which they can 
be grown, is that of a bush or small tree, with a stem of 
three to six inches high, and a head composed of a certain 
number, say six or eight principal branches, situated at 
equal distances, and not nearer to one another at the ex- 
tremities than six or eight inches. 

These branches are produced by cutting back the young 
shoots found on the nursery plant, as recommended for 
the gooseberry. They are afterwards annually shortened 
to produce lateral branches, when wanted, and fruit spurs. 
Care must be taken not to prune too close, as this causes 
the buds on the lower parts to make wood instead of fruit 
spurs : one third, and in many cases one fourth, Avill be 
quite sufficient. 

The Currant as a Pyramid. — The currant is very easily 
formed into pretty pyramids. The mode of conducting 
them will be similar to that recommended for other trees. 

A good strong shoot must first be obtained to com- 
mence upon ; this is cut back, and laterals produced as 
though it were a yearling cherry-tree. Summer pruning 



THE CLRRAlSrT. 311 

and pinching must be duly put in practice, under any 
form, to keep up an equality of growth among the shoots, 
and to check misplaced and superfluous ones. This will 
obviate a great deal of cutting at the winter or spring 
pruning. Mr. Rivers, in his " Miniature Fruit Garden," 
says : "A near neighbor of mine, an ingenious gardener, 
attaches much value, and vi^ith reason, to his pyramidal 
currant trees ; for his table is supplied abundantly with 
their fruit till late in autumn. The leading shoots of his 
trees are fastened to iron rods ; they form nice pyramids 
about five feet high ; and by the clever contrivance of 
slipping a bag made of coarse muslin over them as soon 
as the fruit is ripe, fastening it securely at the bottom, 
wasps, birds, flies, and all the ills that beset ripe currants 
arc excluded." 

The Currant as an Espalier. — It is sometimes desirable, 
both to economize space and to retard the period of ripen- 
ing, to train currants on a north wall or trellis ; and this 
is very easily done with success. We have seen the north 
side of a neighbor's garden fence completely covered with 
currants without any system whatever being pursued in 
laying in the branches. The plants were about five feet 
apart, and the branches were fastened to the wall in a sort 
of fan form. The proper way to treat the currant as an 
espalier is, to produce two strong branches on a stem six 
to twelve inches high. These branches are trained out in 
a horizontal manner like two arms — one on each side ; and 
from the shoots which they will produce, as many as are 
to be had at the distance of six inches from one another 
are trained in an upright position, as in the grape vine 
(fig. 137). 

These upright shoots are managed in the same w^ay as 
the branches of a bush ; they are annually shortened back 
a little to insure a good supply of fruit buds. 

The Black Currant produces its best fruit on the wood 
of the preceding year, therein differing from the others. 



312 THE r.ASPBEEEY. 

In pruning it, the young wood must be preserved, and 
branches that have borne must be cut back to produce a 
succession of new bearing wood, as in the filbert. 

Manuring. — ^N'o otlier fruit tree is so patient under bad 
treatment as the currant, and yet none yields a more 
prompt or abundant reward for kindness. In addition to 
the annual ^jruning described, the bushes should receive a 
dressing of old, well-prepared manure, two or three inches 
deep, spread all around as far as the roots go, and forked 
lightly in. It is a great feeder, and, without tliese annual 
dressings, the soil becomes so poor that the fruit is really 
not worth gathering. 

Plai^ting, Pruning, and Teaii!^ing the Raspbeery. 

Planting. — The raspberry succeeds well in all good 
garden soils in the ISTorthern States, but the foreign varie- 
ties {Mnhus IdcBus) do not succeed at the South or South- 
west. The most advantageous and economical position 
for a raspberry bed in the garden is generally in the wall 
border, facing north. In this situation the fruit ripens 
sufficiently, and the canes are not so liable to suffer from 
alternate freezing and thawing in the winter. The young 
canes or suckers are shortened full one half, and i)lanted 
at the distance of two or three feet. Any flowers that 
make their appearance on them the first season should be 
removed, in order to turn all the sap to the benefit of the 
leaves and new roots, and the production of a young cane 
for the next season. 

Pruning. — The stem is biennial — that is, the canes are 
produced one season and bear fruit the next, and then die. 
For example, in fig. 152, A is the old cane that has borne, 
and is of no further use. B is the young cane produced 
at its base last season. The fruit buds produce small 
shoots, a, a, a, that bear the fruit. The pruning is very 
simple ; it consists merely in cutting away early in the 



THE RASPBERRY. 



313 



spring the old cane that has borne. Some people do this 
as soon as the fruit is gathered, on the ground that the 
young cane is strengthened by so doing ; but this is ques- 
tionable. It may be, on the whole, safer to leave it to 
finish its natural course, and cut it away at the spring or 
winter pruning. 

The young cane is shortened to three feet, or three and 
a half or four, if it be quite stout and vigorous. When 
the plants have been a year or two 
in their place, several canes will be 
produced from one stool in the same 
season ; but three or four only are 
reserved, and these the strongest. 
Each one is pruned or shortened as 
above in order to concentrate the 
sap on the bearing buds on the 
center and lower parts. This not 
only increases the size, but im- 
proves the quality of the fruit. 
"When the suckers become very nu- 
merous, they enfeeble the plant, 
and it soon becomes worthless. All 
the weaker superfluous ones should 
be carefully removed with a trowel 
early in the season, say when they 
have attained five or six inches of 
growth. In selecting such as are to be reserved, prefer- 
ence should be given to those being nearest in the regu- 
lar row of plants. Some of the French authors recom- 
mend leaving a hole ten or twelve inches deep around 
each plant at the time of planting, to be filled up gradu- 
ally, three or four inches a year, with fresh earth, to pro- 
mote the formation of vigorous radical buds, at the collar 
of the root, as recommended for the fig. 

Summer Pnming. — The foregoing is designed for the 
annual or winter pruning, but if summer pruning is prac- 
14 




Fig. 152. 
The Raspberry. A. the 
old cane that has borne 
and will be cut away ; B, 
the young cane for next 
season, to be shortened at" 
cross line 5 ; C, radical 
bud, to produce a cane 
next season. 



314 



THE EASPBEEPwT. 



tised all that will be needed in the autumn is to cut away 
the canes that l)ave borne fruit. 

In summer pruning, as soon as the young shoots have 
grown to a hight of two and a half or three feet, they 
should have the ends pinched in. This will soon cause them 
to produce laterals or side branches, and these again, as 
soon as they have made a growth of one foot, should be 
pinched back, and at the same time the shoot from the 
top bud of the cnne should be shortened. This causes 
the plants to become stocky and self-supporting. 

Manuring. — ^A liberal dressing of well-decomposed ma- 
nure should be given them every fall, worked carefully 
in among the roots witli the digging fork. With this 
treatment a bed will continue productive for seven years 
:it least. 

Training. — ^jVI. Dubreuil describes a very, pretty and 
simple method of training practised in France, and I had 




Fig. 153.— FRETTCH MODE OF TRA.TNING THE RASFBEBRT TO STAKES 
AND ROPES. 

the pleasure of seeing it carried into practice in the Rouen 
Garden (fig. 153). 

The railing ^ is a narrow strip of board, or a small 
pole, supported on upright stakes; it is eighteen inches 
from the row of plants, and three feet from the ground. 
When the young bearing canes are pruned in the spring, 
they are bent over and iastened to this rail ; and thus the 
young suckers grow up without mixing with the fruit 
branches; consequently the fruit ripens better and is 
more easily gathered. During the summer, when th^ 



THE liASPBERIiY. 



3li 



youvg. suckers destined to bear the year following have 
reached the hight of two feet, they are fastened to a 
similar rail on the other side of the row, and the same 
distance from the line of the ground. 

The following is an English mode of training described 
in the " London Gardeners' Chronicle." In fig. 15 i-, the 
uprights between every two or three plants are iron, and 




Fig. 154. — ENGLISH MODE OF TRAINING THE KASPBERRT. 

the horizontal lines to which the canes are attached, are 
tarred rope. 

In fig. 155, the plants are supposed to be placed in 
rows four feet apart, and about the same distance from 
one another in the row. The number of shoots on each 
is regulated during the growing season, no more being 




Fig. 155. — ENGLISH MODE OF TRAINING THE RASPBERRY TO STAKES. 

allowed to remain than the plant is capable of support- 
ing^. In most cases six or eig^ht shoots will be sufiicient. 
Where this method is practised, a row of raspberries in 
autumn will have something of the appearance repre- 
sented in fig. 155 ; the arched portion, tied to the stake 



316 THE KASPBERRY. 

in the center, being the canes which bore fruit last year, 
and which must be cut down to the bottom, and be re- 
placed by the upright shoots of last summer. 

In this last arrangement, five or six fruit-bearing canes 
are tied together to one stake, and it is impossible that 
the fruit can either ripen well or be gathered easily. The 
two first are good and simple plans. 

Where summer pruning is practised no training will bo 
needed, but in absence of that operation being performed 
we have practised driving stakes at distances of twelve feet 
or so along the row, and then simply securing a cord at one 
end of the row, pass it along one side, just under the side 
branches, giving a tie around each stake, and the same 
on the opposite side, thus securing the canes from falling 
to the ground, and yet leaving them free and open to air 
and sunshine. After fruiting the cord can be taken off 
and laid away for another year. 

Protection in Winter. — All the foreign, or, as commonly 
termed, Antwerp varieties, require winter protection in 
the northern sections of the States, and, indeed, they are 



Tig. 156. — COVERING RASPBEKRIES WITH THE SPADE. 

the better, wherever grown, for a slight protection during 
the winter months. 

In garden culture the canes are bent down and earth 
covered over them with a spade to the depth of two to 
three inches (fig. 156), the dotted lines being the top of 
the covering of earth. 

In the field or large plantations, a plow is run along by 
the side of the row, and a shallow furrow opened (a, fig. 
157) ; then a man or boy follows, and, bending the 
canes down into it (J), secures them in place by draw- 



THE BLACKBERllY. 317 

ing over them a little earth, either with the hand or foot ; 
the plow then returns, throwing the furrow over and 
upon the plants a depth of one to four inches (see dot- 
ted lines in %. 157). Another way of covering is to 
first lay down the canes along the line of row, secur- 
ing by a little dirt on their ends, and then turn a fur- 
row with the plow towards them on each side. This 




_,...../<-. 



Fig. 157.— COVERING RASPBBKRIE3 AVITH THE PLOW. 

makes the center between each row to act as a drain for 
surface water. The canes should be left until the buds 
begin to swell in the spring, as, if taken out too early, they 
are liable to be killed by frosts. In localities where snoAV 
usually covers the ground during winter, merely laying 
the canes upon the ground and covering the ends with a 
little earth is sufficient. 

Planting, Pruning, and Training the Blackberrt. 

The blackberry requires a deep moist soil, not wet, but 
it is not particular whether clay or sand. The canes are 
planted at distances of six to eight feet apart, according 
to the strength of the soil. Cover the crown of the root 
not more than two inches deep, same as with the raspberry. 

Prune the cane at planting the same as the raspberry, 
and pursue the same system of summer pruning or pinch- 
ing, only leaving the main stems from four to six feet 
long, and the side branches fourteen to eighteen inches. 
Tying the blackberry canes to wires or stakes is an un- 
pleasant labor, and we have found that stout stakes along 
the rows at distances of sixteen to twenty feet, with a No. 
12 wire stretched alonor each side at three to four feet 



318 THE STEAWBEERY. 

from the ground, according to the Light of the plants, a 

good support and economical in labor-saving. The wire, 
at time of pruning away the old bearing canes, may be 
removed from one side, and again replaced after the prun- 
ing is done. Covering the blackberry for winter protec- 
tion is the same as that of the raspberry. 

Culture and Majstagement of the Strawberry. 

The strawberry is not difficult to suit in regard to the 
nature of the soil, for every year we see abundant crops 
gathered from a variety of soils, differing widely in char- 
acter, from a light sand to a heavy clay. 

The best soil is a deep, strong, sandy loam, but any soil 
suited to the growth of ordinary field or garden crops 
may be trusted for successfully growing the strawberry. 
This should be broken up and pulverized by spade trench- 
ing (page 72) or subsoil plowing (page 71), and enriched 
by the admixture of good stable manure to the depth of 
full two feet. The quantity of manure will, of course, be 
regulated by the condition of the soil. 'New soils of 
good quality, unexhausted by cultivation, will require 
very little, just enough to quicken those chemical changes 
which it is necessary the elements of fertility should un- 
dergo to convert them into a nutritive state. In old, 
pretty well-worn soils a coating of three, four, or even 
six inches of manure should be spread on the surface be- 
fore the trenching or plowing begins, and be regularly 
incorporated with the soil during the operation. If this 
trenching or plowing can be done in the autumn, all the 
better, and the soil should be left as rough as possible, so 
that the frost will act upon it efficiently during the w^in- 
ter. Then before the plants are set in the spring, the 
ground should be turned over once more so as to loosen 
it and incorporate the various parts thoroughly with one 
another. The beneficial effects of manure depend much, 



THE STRAWBERRY. 319 

in this as in all cases, upon its even distribution in the 
soil. Some old gardens become infested with grubs which 
live upon the roots of plants and often cut off all crops. 
In such cases, a dressing of soot, or fresh lime, or salt, at 
the time of trenching or plowing, will have a good effect. 

It is almost unnecessary to say that all soils of a wet 
nature, whether arising from springs or from being so tena- 
cious as to hold rain a long time, should be drained 
(page 73). 

Attention to the subject of draining cannot be too 
strongly urged upon all cultivators, and especially cultiva 
tors of fruit, and the strawberry grower should constantly 
remember that the certainty, excellence, and profusion of 
the crop depend mainly upon the richness^ depth^ and 
thorough drainage of the soil. 

Transplanting. — Next to the preparation of the soil an 
important item is, when to plant. All seasons, in the hands 
of skilful persons, and with care in shading, etc., are suc- 
cessful, but the months of April and May in the spring, 
September and October in the fall, throughout the North- 
ern States, January, February, and March in the South, 
are periods when the least care is required to insure the 
greatest success. 

Fall planting at the North involves necessity of winter 
protection, which it is requisite to give in such a manner, 
and with such material, that the plants may be prevented 
from being thrown out by the frost, and at the same time 
not smothered by the mulch of leaves, straw, etc., being 
too thick and heavy on their crowns. Early fall planting 
almost always insures new roots, as the soil is warm and 
the roots form rapidly ; it is also a season when the ground 
works finely and the demand for labor on other crops is 
reduced. For large plantations, we, however, prefer the 
spring, just about the time when the ground is dry and 
warm, and the plants are beginning to grow. One plant 
in a thousand need not be lost at this time, if the ground 



320 THE STRAWBEKKT. 

has been properly prepared, the plants in good order, and 
the work done reasonably well. 

The ground being properly prepared and made smooth 
with a harrow, the planting should be in straight rows, 
using a line, and may be done with a dibble, or by fur- 
rowing the line lightly with a shovel, or double mould- 
board plow, and then drawing the earth in around the 
plant, as it is placed, with the hands. This gives oppor- 
tunity for a better spreading of the roots, and in practice 
has been found even more rapid than dibbling. 

In extensive field culture the system of rows is the 
most advantageous, and they should be three and a half 
to four feet apart, with plants one foot apart in the row, 
to admit of the passage of the horse-hoe or cultivator 
between them. 

The arrangement of plants in beds is a matter upon which 
cultivatoi'S differ in opinion and practice. That which we 

regard as offering the 
greatest convenience in 
a garden plantation is 
to divide the ground 
into beds of four feet 
wide, each of which may 
Fig. 158.— DIAGRAM OF STRAWBERRY- coutaln thrcc rows of 
BED. plants, the two outside 

rows six inches from the edge of the beds (fig. 158). 
The plants may stand twelve inches apart in the row8, 
or in the case of very strong growing sorts, such as Trol- 
lope's Victoria and some other English varieties, eighteen 
inches apart. Thus a bed twenty feet long and four feet 
wide will contain forty to sixty plants. 

If the plantation contains several of these beds they 
should be separated by walks or alleys of two feet in 
width. 

These walks would enable the gardener to perform all 
the labor the plants would require, and gather the fruit 



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THE STRAWBERRY. 321 

without Stepping on the beds, which is a consideration of 
some importance. Next to this arrangement I would 
recommend rows two feet apart, with the plants twelve 
to eighteen inches apart in the rows (fig. 159). In this 
case the space between *i9m» *••••• •is/n* 

the rows must be used as ^ ^ 

a path in gathering the .«,,. ••••o 

fruit and performing the g ^ 

details of culture. ' . 

Small garden-beds may j,jg 159.-diaguam of field- 
be made at any time when planting. 

the ground is not frozen. The ground should be raked off 
smooth and even, and the beds or plots and intervening 
walks marked by the line and a measure. When this is 
done, then stretch the line where it is intended to put a 
row of plants, mark off the place for each plant by a 
measure, and then with a dibble, such as that described on 
page 147, set the plants, pressing the earth firmly around 
each with the hand. When the rows are close the plants 
should be put in quincunx order. This increases the 
space around each plant. 

In a dry time the plants should be well watered before 
they are taken up, and the ground well watered before 
they are planted ; then they must be protected from the 
hot mid-day sun until they have taken root. 

In planting spread out the roots and cover them with 
soil, but avoid covering the crown with earth. 

The plants should invariably be of one season's growth, 
from the seed or runner, and well rooted. Where only a 
few plants are needed, those nearest the parent plant 
should be selected, as they possess a greater degree of vigor. 

They should always be taken up in a moist time if pos- 
sible, and before planting the roots should be dressed by 
cutting off the extremities, and the older, imperfect, or 
bruised foliage should also be pruned off; these operations 
facilitate the process of re-rooting. We find it very 
14* 



322 THE STRAWBERRY. 

good to dip the roots, after being dressed, in mud made 
of loamy soil and old manure well mixed with water, 
about as thick as common paint. 

In compact soil a little sand about each plant, thrown 
into the bottom of the hole made by the dibble, will 
hasten the growth of young roots materially. No fresh 
manure should be used in any case whatever. 

It is essential in the culture, in order to produce good 
crops, that the runners or new forming plants be kept 
from growing just the same as if they were weeds. Early 
in the spring, if the plants have been mulched, they 
should be gone over with a rake, and the mulch all re- 
moved from the crown or center, and as soon as the 
ground is in condition to work, all between the rows and 
among the plants should be spaded or plowed as deeply 
as possible. All weeds should be kept down, aud just 
before the fruit commences to ripen a layer of straw or 
fresh-mown grass should be placed along just under the 
foliage and around the plants, for the purpose of keeping 
the fruit clean. 

After the crop has matured, if plants are wanted, the 
ground should be again dug or plowed and the mulch re- 
moved, when an abundance of new plants from runners 
will soon form. If in the garden, and another year's crop 
is to be provided for, then a light dressing of well-rotted 
manure should be dug in, and during the remainder of the 
season all runners prevented from growing and weeds 
kept down. 

For field crops, if the plantation has borne but one year, 
then go through between the rows and plow deep, leaving 
only the hills or narrow rows ; smooth down with the 
one-horse harrow and cultivator, and then from time to 
time go through with the cultivator, to keep down all 
weeds and runners. If the plantation has borne two crops, 
then give a dressing of well-rotted manure along between 
the rows, plow deep, harrow down smooth, and let the 



FKUIT TREES. 323 

runners or new plants form along into it, being careful to 
keep down weeds. 

The new plants will all be formed by September, when 
the plow may again be used and the rows of old plants 
turned under, leaving the new plants for the next crop. 
The most successful growers practise taking but one crop 
from a plantation. In so doing, they plant in spring, per- 
mit the runners to grow as they please, but keep down 
all weeds, and the ground thoroughly cultivated. The 
crop is made the second season, and then the plantation 
destroyed. 

Sundry Operations connected with the Culture 
OF Fruit Trees. 

1st. The Annual Cultivation of the Soil. — The soil 
around fruit trees should, especially in the garden, be kept 
in a clean, friable condition by the frequent use of the hoe 
and the spade ; but in all these operations the roots must 
not be injured. The forked spade (see Implements) is the 
best for operating about the roots. 

2d. Manuring, — The very common practice in regard 
to the use of manure, is to apply none for several years, 
until the trees have begun to show signs of feebleness and 
exhaustion, when large quantities are applied, thus induc- 
ing a rank, plethoric growth, that can scarcely fail to be 
seized with diseases, The proper way is to apply a small 
dressing of well-decomposed material, like some of the 
composts recommended, every autumn. This should be 
forked in around the extremities of the roots. There may 
be rich soils where this will be unnecessary ; but most 
ordinary garden soils require it. 

3d. Mulching. — This should be a universal practice in 
our dry and warm summer climate, not only with newly- 
planted trees, but all, and especially dwarfs in the garden 
whose roots are near the surface. Three or four inches 



324 FRUIT TREES. 

deep of half-decayed stable manure or litter makes a 
good mulching. It should be applied in May, and remain 
.all summer. After the fall dressing a mulching for the 
winter will protect the roots and base of the tree from 
injury; it should be so well decayed as not to attract 
vermin. 

4th. Watering. — In dry times, and especially in light, 
dry soils, fruit trees will derive vast benefits from a liberal 
syringing overhead in the evening, with a hand or garden 
syringe (see Implements). A reservoir in the garden is 
therefore desirable, and at a point easy of access from 
all the quarters of the garden. This watering refreshes 
the trees, drives away insects, mildew, etc., and washes off 
dust and filth that may accumulate on the foliage and fill 
up the pores. It is more necessary in city and village 
than in country gardens. 

Proteeting Trees against Extremes of Temperature. — 
"Where the trunk or large branches are liable to injury 
from sudden changes of temperature in the winter, or 
from a powei-ful sun in summer, they may be covered 
thinly, with long rye straw, fastened on with willows. 
The trunk alone is more easily protected by means of 
two boards nailed together, forming an angle for the tree. 
This is placed on the south side, the injury being induced 
chiefly by the sun at both seasons. 

Newly-transplanted trees, especially if they have tall 
trunks, and are somewhat injured before planting, may be 
saved by wrapping them lightly with straw ; a straw rope 
rolled around answers the purpose. A little damp moss 
is still better ; an occasional watering will keep it cool 
and moist, and enable the sap to flow under the bark. 

Renovating pyramidal trees of Apples and Pears that 
have become enfeebled or unproductive by age^ bad soil, 
bearing, or bad pruning. — There are two methods of doing 
this successfully. One is, to cut back all parts of the tree. 
The stem may be cut back half its length, the lateral 



CULTURE OF FKUIT TREES. 325 

branches at the base to within twelve or fifteen inches of 
the stem, and shorter as they advance up-vrards, so that 
those at the top will be cut to four or six inches. This 
will preserve the pyramidal form. 

It may appear unnecessary to cut back the stem, but 
we find when this is not done it is almost impossible to 
secure an equal growth between tlie upper and lower 
parts, because the wood at the top is young, and attracts 
the sap much more than the wood at the base of the old 
branches below. For a few years after this renewal the 
young wood at the top must be kept very closely pruned, 
to prevent it from absorbing more than its due proportion 
of the sap. When growth commences on trees thus cu fc 
back, a large number of shoots will be produced. Amongst 
those on the stem, a strong and well-placed one must be 
selected for a leader, and its growth favored by checking 
those around it. Leaders for each of the lateral branches 
must be selected and encouraged in the same way. The 
future management will be similar to that described for 
the formation of young trees. We have succeeded well 
with a large number of trees thus treated. Where the 
soil is defective, it must be improved and renewed with 
fresh soil and composts, so that abundant nutriment shall 
be given to the new growth. 

The second method of renewal referred to is, that of cut- 
ting back as already described, and grafting each branch. 

The process of regrafting old orchards of standard 
apple-trees, it is well known, renews their vigor, and re- 
places old, worn-out, and deformed branches with young 
and vigorous ones, giving to the entire head a healthy and 
youthful appearance. In many cases this grafting will 
be much more successful than simply cutting back, for the 
cions, being furnished with young and active buds that 
develop leaves at once, attract the sap from the roots, 
place it in contact with the atmosphere, and carry on the 
formative process in all parts of the tree with less inter- 



326 CULTURE OF FRUIT TREES. 

ruption and greater activity than where reliance is placed 
upon the production of new shoots on the old wood ; for 
this must be effected by awakening dormant buds, which 
in many cases takes place slowly and with more or less 
difficulty. 



P^RT I^ 



SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS— GATHERING AND 

PRESERVING FRUITS— DISEASES— INSECTS 

—IMPLEMENTS IN COMMON USE. 



CHAPTER I. 

ABRIDGED DESCRIPTIONS OF SELECT VARIETIES OP FRUITS. 

The accumulation of varieties of fruits within the last 
twenty years has been so great, that anything like a com- 
plete description or account of them all, would in itself ex- 
ceed the bounds of a moderate-sized volume. Taken al- 
together, there are perhaps at this moment no fewer than 
four thousand different varieties under cultivation. To 
trace out the history, the peculiar characters and merits 
of these, must be the work of the pomologist, and forms 
no part in the design of this treatise. In making the fol- 
lowing selections, and in describing them, pomological 
system and minuteness have not been deemed essential, 
nor would they be practicable within the necessary limits. 

The main object aimed at is, to bring to the notice of 
cultivators the best varieties^ those which ample experi- 
ence has proved to be really valuable, or which upon a 
partial trial give strong indications of becoming so. 
Nothing is more embarrassing to the inexperienced culti- 
vator than long lists ; and many will no doubt be inclined 
to think that a large number of the following varieties 
might very well be dispensed with. But it must be re- 
membered that our country, even the great fruit-growing 
regions of it, possess diiS'erent climates, that there are 
various qualities of soils, various tastes and circumstances 
of individuals, to be provided for. A dozen or twenty 
sorts of apples or pears may be as many as one person 



330 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. 

may require ; but it does not follow that these varieties 
only are to be cultivated, -for it is very probable that 
another individual, r^^siding even in the same Stare, would 
make a selection entirely different. New York, Massa- 
chusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, and 
other States, have all varieties of their own ; and by the 
time each has made a selection, our one hundred and fifty 
varieties will be appropriated, and a deficiency still exist 
in all probability. We are not of those who cry out 
against new varieties. On the contrary, we look upon 
every one of real excellence as an additional blessing to 
the fruit growers and to society, for which they should be 
duly thankful. The only thing to be observed in regard 
to them is, that before entering into general cultivation 
they should be fairly and carefully tested under various 
circumstances. Some well-meaning persons make a great 
outcry against nurserymen and others, whose business it 
is to experiment, for extending their lists or noticing new 
varieties, and asrainst horticultural societies for offerinor 
premiums for large collections. If such a spirit had pre- 
vailed, what would our fruits have been to-day? 

It is by no means presumed that the following lists are 
perfect, even as far as they go. No individual possesses 
such a thorough knowledge of the various soils and cli- 
mates of our country, or of the varieties of fruits best 
adapted to them, as to enable him to recommend with in- 
fallible correctness special lists for all localities. 

In attempting this, reliance must be placed upon the 
experience and reports of others, and these are always 
liable to be biased by tastes or prejudices. These things 
have been kept in view, and wherever recommendations 
are made beyond our own knowledge and experience, 
they are based upon the most reliable authority, and it is 
hoped will not be found wholly unserviceable to those 
especially who have neither had experience nor access to 
sources of extensive and minute information. Those who 



APPLES. 331 

are not satisfied with the abridged descriptions are re- 
ferred to works more strictly pomological. 

The arrangement of varieties under the heads of Surrv- 
mer^ Autumn^ and Wi?iter, is for the purpose of assisting 
the reader in selecting varieties ripening at particular sea- 
sons, while the terms early or late summer, etc., in place 
of the month, is because of its better application to the 
various States and sections of States. For instance, the 
Early Harvest ripens at the South early in June, and at 
the North early in July, but in each section it is classed 
as ripening in early summer. 

Synonyms have been omitted in most cases, because of 
the want of room, and because the work is intended as a 
guide to the planter, rather than a work on pomology. 
When inserted they are in small capitals. The name 
given to each fruit is the recognized, name of the Amer- 
ican Pomological Society so far as recorded in their Cat- 
alogue. 



FIRST DIVISION.— KERNEL FRUIT— APPLES, PEARS, 
AND QUINCES. 

Section 1. — Select Apples. 

class i. summer apples. 

American Summer Pearmain. — Medium size, oblong ; 
skin smooth, red and yellow ; flesh tender, juicy, rich, sub- 
acid. — Late Summer. Tree a moderately vigorous grow- 
er, upright ; bears early. A valuable sort for family use ; 
not profitable in orchards. 

Benoni* — Origin Massachusetts. Medium size, roundish 
oblate ; yellow, shaded and striped with red. Stem short, 
calyx closed; flesh yellow, juicy, tender, sub-acid. — Mid- 
Summer. Tree a moderate upright grower, hardy and pro- 
ductive. A valuable variety for market or table use. 



332 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. 

Carolina Red June. — Origin South. Medium or below 
in size, oval or conic ; purplish red, on yellow ground ; stem 
variable, calyx closed ; flesh tender, juicy, brisk sub-acid. 
— Early Summer. Tree a vigorous, upright grower, good 
bearer ; valuable as an orchard sort South and West. 
Successful in ISTew York. 

Carolina Watson. — Large, roundish, flattened ; green- 
ish, shaded and striped with red; flesh white, coarse, mild 
sub-acid. — Mid-Summer. A Southern variety not valued 
at the North. 

Early Harvest. — Origin American. Medium size, round- 
ish oblate ; skin smooth, light pale yellow ; stem medium ; 
flesh white, tender, juicy, rich, sub-acid. — Early Summer. 
Tree a moderate grower, erect, spreading as it grows old, 
productive. A valuable variety for market or table use 
in almost every section. 

Early Joe. — Origin New York. Small size, oblate; 
yellowish, covered, striped, and shaded with red; flesh 
tender, juicy, rich, sprightly vinous sub-acid. — Mid-Sum- 
mer. Tree a slow, upright grower, very productive ; val- 
uable for the garden. 

Early Pennock . — Origin American. Large size, round- 
ish, ribbed ; yellow, shaded with red ; flesh whitish, rather 
coarse, sub-acid. — Late Summer. Tree a strong grower, 
productive; valued as a market sort in parts of Ohio 
especially. 

Early Red Margaret, — Origin foreign. Medium or 
below in size, roundish ovate; skin yellowish, striped and 
marbled with dull red; flesh white, tender, crisp, sub-acid, 
agreeable. — ^Early Summer. Tree a moderate grower and 
bearer. 

Early Strawfeerry (Red Juneating of some). — Origin 
New York. Small, roundish, slightly conical ; skin smooth, 
yellowish, striped, shaded, and mostly covered with red ; 
flesh white, tinged with red next the skin, tender, sprightly. 



APPLES. 333 

pleasantly sub-acid and perfumed; very good. — Middle 
to late Summer. Tree a moderate upright grower, an 
abundant bearer, ripening its fruit along evenly for a 
month or more. Valuable for orchard or garden. 

Family (McCloud's Family). — Origin Georgia. Me- 
dium, oblate-conical ; yellow, striped with dull red ; 
flesh white, tender, juicy, mild, sub-acid. Late Summer. 
Tree a good grower and productive. Valued at the South. 

Fanny. — Origin Pennsylvania. Large, roundish-ob- 
late ; crimson-red, sprinkled with light dots ; flesh white, 
tender, juicy, sub-acid, fine flavored. — Mid-Summer. 
Tree vigorous, spreading, productive. 

Foundling. — Origin Massachusetts. Medium to large, 
oblate-conic ; yellowish-green, striped with deep red ; 
flesh yellow, tender, juicy, rich. — Mid-Summer. Tree a 
poor grower in the nursery. 

Golden Sweet. — Origin Connecticut.' Medium or above, 
roundish, pale yellow ; flesh yellowish, tender, sweet, 
rich. — Mid-Summer. Tree a strong grower, spreading, a 
good bearer. Valuable for cooking, market, or stock. 

Iljghtop Sweet (Sweet Ju^s-e). — Origin Massachusetts. 
Medium or below in size, roundish, light yellow ; flesh 
yellowish, sweet, pleasant, very good. — Mid-Summer. 
Tree vigorous, upright, productive. Valued for the mar- 
ket orchard. 

Julian (JuLiEisr). — Origin South. Medium, roundish- 
conical ; color whitish, striped with rich red ; flesh yel- 
lowish-white, tender, juicy, fine flavored. — Mid-Summer. 
Tree moderately vigorous, very productive. Highly 
valued at the South. 

Large Yellow Bough (Early Sweet Bough). — Origin 
American. Large, oblong-ovate ; skin smooth, greenish- 
yellow ; flesh white, tender, sprightly, rich, sweet. — 
Early to Mid-Summer. Tree moderately vigorous, com- 
pact, good bearer. One of the best for table or market. 



334 SELECT YAEIETIE3 OF FRUITS. 

Primate* — Probably American. Medium, roundish- 
oblate ; greenish-white, blush cheek in the sun ; flesh 
white, very tender, sprightly, mild sub-acid. — Late Sum- 
mer. Tree a vigorous grower, upright, very productive. 
An excellent dessert sort ; too tender for distant market. 

Red Astrachan. — Origin Eussian. Large, roundish ; 
nearly covered with deep crimson and a thick bloom ; 
flesh tender, juicy, rich acid. — Mid-Summer. Tree vig- 
orous, strong grower, upright, spreading, good bearer. 
Well known as one of the most profitable of orchard sorts, 
and valuable for the dessert when gathered at the right 
time. Probably the most profitable early summer apple 
in every part of our country from Maine to California. 

Repka* — Origin Russian. Small or medium, roundish, 
regular ; skin pale straw-color ; flesh fine grained, crisp, 
juicy, sub-acid, good quality. — Summer. Tree moderate 
grower, productive. 

Summer Ha^loeo — Origin American. Medium to 
large, roundish-oblate ; yellow, striped and splashed with 
red, slight bloom ; flesh white, tender, juicy, sub-acid. 
— Late Summer. Tree a vigorous, stocky, short-jointed 
grower, making a handsome round head, productive. 
An old sort, but comparatively little known ; valuable 
for orchard or garden. 

Summer Pippin (Ohamplain"). — Origin unknown. 
Medium to large ; roundish, inclining to conic ; waxen - 
yellow, shaded crimson ; flesh white, tender, moderately 
juicy, pleasant, sub-acid. — Mid-Summer. Tree vig- 
orous, productive. A profitable market variety, much 
cultivated in Eockland and Westchester Counties, N. Y. 

Summer Queen. — Origin New York. Large, conical ; 
striped and shaded with red ; flesh aromatic, whitish- 
yellow, rich and agreeable. — Late Summer. Tree vig- 
orous, spreading, productive. A popular and successful 
market sort. 



APPLES. 335 

Summer Rose (Lippikcott's Eaely, etc.). — Origin 
New Jersey. Medium or below in size, roundish, 
smooth ; yellow, streaked and blotched with red ; flesh 
tender, juicy, rich, delicious, spicy sub-acid.— Middle to 
late Summer. Tree moderately vigorous, hardy, an 
early and productive bearer. Highly valued as a dessert 
fruit. 

Summer Sweet Paradise,— Origin Pennsylvania. 
Large, round, slightly oblate; greenish-yellow; flesh 
very tender, juicy, crisj), rich aromatic sweet. — Late 
Summer. Tree vigorous, spreading, productive. A val- 
uable dessert sort, too tender for market. 

Tetofsky, — Origin Russia. Medium, oblate, nearly 
round ; yellowish, striped and shaded with red, thick 
whitish bloom ; flesh white, juicy, sprightly acid, fra- 
grant. — Early Summer. Tree vigorous, npright, with 
large foliage, which most Russian varieties seem to have ; 
very hardy ; an early and abundant bearer, valued as an 
orchard sort. 

Titovka (Titus Apple). — Origin Russia. Large, al- 
most like a Twenty Ounce ; greenish-yellow, striped and 
splashed with red ; flesh rather coarse, moderately juicy, 
sub-acid, medium quality. — Late Summer. Tree vig- 
orous and productive. 

Townsend (Hockii^g, etc.). — Origin Pennsylvania. 
Medium, oblate; pale yellow, striped with red, thin 
bloom; flesh white, tender, mild, agreeable sub-acid. — 
Late Summer. Tree vigorous, npright grower, good 
bearer. An old sort, valued for market in some localities. 

William's Favorite (William's Red, etc.). — Origin 
Massachusetts. Medium, roundish-oblong ; light and 
dark red; flesh yellowish-white, mild sub-acid. — Middle 
to late Summer. Tree a moderately vigorous upright 
grower, good bearer. A beautiful and popular market 
sort. 



336 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. 

Yellow Transparent. — Origin Russian. Medium round- 
ish, flattened, slightly conical; color white at first, turn- 
ing to a pale yellow; flesh white, tender, Juicy, sprightly, 
sub-acid. — Ripens before Tetofsky. Tree an upright 
grower, vigorous, hardy, and productive. 

CLASS II. — AUTUMK APPLES. 

Alexander. — Origin Russian. Large or very large, 
conical; yellow, mostly shaded with red, light bloom; 
flesh yellowish-white, tender, juicy, pleasant sub-acid. — 
Middle to late Autumn. A superb fruit. Tree a vigor- 
ous spreading grower, and when grown as a dwarf, pro- 
ducing fruit of the largest size and greatest beauty. 

iutumn Sweet Bough (Fall Bough, etc.). — Origin 
Pennsylvania. Medium, conical ; pale yellow ; flesh 
white, very tender, sweet, vinous. — Early Autumn. Tree 
yigorous, upright, productive. A highly esteemed dessert 
variety. 

Beauty of Kent. — A well-known popular English vari- 
ety. Large to very large, roundish; greenish-yellow, 
with broken stripes of red; stem short, calyx small; flesh 
juicy, crisp, tender, sub-acid. — Late Autumn and early 
Winter. Tree very vigorous, upright, and moderately 
productive. A showy fruit, and highly valued for cooking. 

Campfield (Newark Sweetin-g). — Origin New Jersey. 
Medium, roundish-oblate; greenish-yellow, with shades 
and stripes of red; flesh white, dry, firm, rich, sweet. — 
Late Autumn, but will often keep until Spring. Tree 
a moderate, healthy grower, spreading, very productive. 
This is a celebrated cider apple in New Jersey, and is 
valued for baking and for stock feeding. 

Carter's Blue. — Origin Alabama. Large, roundish, 
flattened; greenish, mostly covered with dull red and a 
blue bloom; flesh yellowish- white, sugary, rich, aromatic. 



APPLES. . 337 

Early Autumn. Tree a fine upright grower and an early 
bearer; popular in some parts of the South. 

Chenango Strawberry (Sherwood's Fayorite, etc.). 
— Origin New York. Medium to large, oblong-conic; 
shaded, splashed, and mottled with crimson, red, and 
white; flesh white, tender, juicy, mild sub-acid. — Early 
Autumn. Tree yigorous, spreading. Wherever grown 
this is highly esteemed as a table fruit of fair quality and 
great beauty. 

Cornell's Fancy.— Origin Pennsylvania. Medium, 
oblong-conical; yellow, shaded with crimson-red; flesh 
white, tender, crisp, juicy, pleasant sub-acid. — Tree vig- 
orous and productive. 

Duchess of Oldenhurgh. — Origin Russian. Medium to 
large, roundish; streaked and shaded red on yellow; flesh 
white, juicy, sprightly, sharp sub-acid.,— Early Autumn. 
Tree vigorous, upright, spreading, an early and abundant 
bearer, and very hardy. This variety is probably more 
generally cultivated West and North-west than any other. 
Everywhere it succeeds and proves profitable as an orch- 
ard variety. 

Dyer (Pomme Royale, Goldek Spice, etc.). — Origin 
foreign. Medium size, roundish; greenish-yellow, with 
blush in the sun ; flesh white, very tender, juicy, 
sprightly aromatic, mild sub-acid. — Mid- Autumn. Tree 
a moderate^ grower, productive. This is one of the best 
of dessert apples, but too tender and not showy enough 
for shipment to distant markets. 

Fall Pippin. — Supposed American. Large to very 
large, roundish, flattened at ends; yellowish; flesh white, 
tender, rich, aromatic, sub-acid. — Middle to late Autumn. 
Tree vigorous, upright, spreading. The Fall Pippin, in 
sections where there are no great e^^tremes of tempera- 
ture, is one of the most valuable varieties, either for 
table or market; popular over q, great extent of country. 
15 



338 SELECT VARIETIES OF FEUITS. 

Fall Wine (Ohio Wine, etc.). — Origin American. 
Medium or above, roundish-oblate; light ground, mostly 
covered with red; flesh yellowish-white, tender, juicy, 
rich, aromatic, mild sub-acid. — Mid-Autumn. Tree a 
slender but healthy grower, moderate annual bearer. 
This variety fails in most sections East, but in the new, 
rich soils of the West it is one of the best, and the fruit 
valuable for dessert or market. 

Garden Royal. — Origin Massachnsetts. Medium or 
below in size, roundish-oblong; greenish -yellow, striped 
and splashed with red and russet; flesh yellowish, very 
tender, Juicy, rich, mild aromatic sub-acid. — Early Au- 
tumn. Tree moderately vigorous, upright, very pro- 
ductive. This is perhaps, in quality, the best apple 
grown, and desirable for the amateur, but not profitable 
as an orchard variety. 

Gravenstein. — Origin German. Large, roundish, flat- 
tened; yellow, shaded and marbled with red; flesh ten* 
der, crisp, with a peculiar, high, aromatic flavor. — Early 
Autumn, but sometimes keeps to Mid- Winter. Tree 
vigorous, spreading, and very productive. One of the 
most profitable sorts either for orchard or garden. 

Hawthornden. — Origin Scotch. Above medium, round- 
ish, slightly oblate; light yellow, with blush in the sun; 
flesh white, juicy, sharp sub-acid. — Early Autumn. Tree 
vigorous but small, upright, spreading, very productive 
and hardy. A valuable sort for cooking and drying, and 
profitable for market. 

Jefferis. — Origin Pennsylvania. Medium, roundish; 
yellow, shaded and splashed with red; flesh white, ten- 
der, juicy, rich, mild sub-acid. — Early Autumn. Tree a 
moderate, healthy grower, productive. 

Jersey Sweet. — Origin unknown. Medium size, round- 
ish-ovate ; greenish-yellow, washed and streaked with 
red, and often covered with stripes of pale and dark red; 



. ■ -' APPLES. 339 

flesli white, juicy, tender, sprightly, sweet. — Early Au- 
tumn. Tree moderately vigorous, very productive. 
Highly valued for dessert, cooking, stock, or market. 

Keswick Codlin. — Origin English. Above medium in 
size, rather conical; greenish-yellow, with a faint blush in 
the sun; flesh yellowish-white, juicy, pleasant sub-acid. 
— Early Autumn. Tree vigorous, a very early and 
abundant bearer. One of the most profitable sorts for 
cooking or market. 

Late Strawfecrry (Autumit Steawberey). — Origin 
New York. Medium size, roundish, slightly conic; flesh 
yellowish -white, tender, juicy, sub-acid. — Late Autumn. 
Tree vigorous, upright, spreading; an early and abun- 
dant bearer. 

Lowell (QuEE2^ AKiq"E, Tallow Pippin, etc.). — Origin 
unknown. Large, roundish-oval' or conic; waxen-yel- 
low, oily; flesh yellowish- white; brisk, rich sub-acid. — 
Mid-Autumn. Tree vigorous, spreading, productive. 
A valuable variety for ei'her garden or orchard, a fine 
dessert apple and a showy market fruit. 

Lyman's Pumpkia Sweet (Pumpkii^ Sweet, Ver- 
mont PuMPKiK Sweet, etc.).— Origin probably Con- 
necticut. Large to very large, roundish; green, with 
whitish streaks and white dots; flesh white, very sweet. — 
Early to late Autumn. Tree very vigorous, upright, 
spreading. Valued for baking, stock, or market. 

Wlaiden's Blusb. — Origin N"ew- Jersey. Medium, 
roundish-oblate;, pale lemon-yellow, with a bright crim- 
son cheek next the sun; flesh white, tender, sprightly, 
brisk sub-acid. — Early and Mid- Autumn. Tree a fine 
grower with a spreading head, an early and abundant 
bearer. A profitable orchard sort. Valued for table, 
cooking, or market. 

Mamgum (Fall Cheese of Viegij^ia, etc.).— Origin 
Southern. Medium, flattened, slightly conic; yellowish, 



340 SELECT VAKIETIES OF FKUITS. 

mostly covered and striped with red; flesh yellow, tender, 
juicy, mild sub-acid. — Late Autumn. Tree a healthy, 
good grower, productive. This, one of the best of South- 
ern apples, has a dozen or more synonyms, and is widely 
grown South and South-west. 

Mena^ere. — Of European origin. Very large and 
beautiful; much flattened; pale yellow, sometimes blush- 
red in the sun; flesh tolerably juicy.- — Late Autumn. 
Tree a vigorous grower, and a good bearer. Valued for 
market and cooking. 

Ohio Nonpareil (Mter's Nokpaeeil). — Medium to 
large, roundish-oblate; yellow, shaded, marbled, and 
splashed with shades of red; flesh yellowish-white, fine- 
grained, tender, juicy, rich aromatic sub-acid. — Late Au- 
tumn. Tree vigorous, with stout straight shoots, making 
a regular, spreading, open head, j)roductive. Valuable 
for table or market. 

Porter. — Origin Massachusetts. Above medium size, 
oblong, narrowing to the eye; bright yellow, with blush 
in the sun ; flesh fine-grained, crisp, firm yet tender, 
sprightly aromatic sub-acid. — Early Autumn. Tree a 
moderate grower, forming a low, round, spreading head, 
productive. Highly esteemed for table or market, and 
succeeding in all good, rich soils. 

Red Bietis^heimer. — Origin Germany. Large to very 
large; roundish-oblate, somewhat inclining to conical; 
skin pale cream-colored ground, mostly covered with 
purplish-crimson; flesh white, firm, with a brisk, pleasant 
sub-acid flavor. — Early Autumn. Growth vigorous, tree 
productive. One of the largest and handsomest of 
apples. 

Richard's Graft (Eed Spitzen"buegh, etc.). — Origin 
New York. Medium, roundish, flattened; yellow, nearly 
covered with shades of red; flesh yellowish, tender, juicy, 
aromatic sub-acid. — ^Early Autumn. 



APPLES. 341 

Rome Beauty. — Origin Ohio. Large to very large, 
roundish; yellow, shaded and striped with red; flesh yel- 
lowish, tender. Juicy, sub-acid. — Late Autumn. Tree a 
moderate grower, late bloomer, productive. 

St. Lawrence. — Supposed origin Canada. Large, ob- 
late; yellowish, striped and splashed with deep red; flesh 
white, slightly stained with red, juicy, tender, vinous 
sub-acid. — Early Autumn, Tree vigorous, uj^right, j^ro- 
ductive. 

Sops of Wine (Homikt, etc.). — Origin foreign. Me- 
dium, roundish; yellow and red, splashed and shaded 
with deep red; flesh white, often stained, not very juicy, 
pleasant sub-acid. — Early Autumn. 

Stump* — Origin 'New York. Medium, roundish-coni- 
cal; skin white, striped and splashed with crimson; flesh 
white, tender, juicy, with a pleasant sub-acid flavor. — 
Early Autumn. Tree an upright, stocky grower, and 
abundant bearer. A favorite early market fruit where it 
originated. 

Washington Strawberry. — Origin New York. Large, 
roundish-conical; yellow, shaded, splashed, and mottled 
with rich red; flesh yellowish, crisp, tender, juicy, brisk 
sub-acid. — Early to Mid- Autumn. Tree vigorous, up- 
right, spreading, an early and abundant bearer. A fine 
market sort. 

CLASS III. — ^WIKTER APPLES. 

American Beauty (Sterling Beautt).— Origin Mas- 
sachusetts. Large, roundish; yellow, covered with dark 
red; flesh yellowish, tender, juicy, rich, sub-acid. — Early 
to late Winter. Tree vigorous, productive. 

American Golden Russet (Bullock's Pippik, Little 
Pearmaii^, etc.). — Below medium size, roundish-ovate; 
dull yellow, marbled with thin russet; flesh yellowish. 



342 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. 

very tender, juicy, rich, spicy. — Early to Mid- Winter. 
Tree a moderate upright grower and good bearer. Valued 
for table or market, for West and South. 

American Golden Pippin (GoLDEi^ Pippik of West- 
chester Ooun"Tt). — Medium to large, roundish, slightly 
fattened; yellow, with a brownish blush in the sun; flesh 
yellowish, juicy, aromatic sub-acid. — Early Winter. Tree 
a strong grower, making a spreading head; not an early, 
but abundant bearer. 

Baldwin* — Origin Massachusetts. Large, roundish, 
narrowing to the eye; yellow ground, nearly covered with 
a rich, bright red; flesh yellowish- white, crisp, juicy, 
pleasant sub-acid. — Early to late Winter. Tree yery vig- 
orous, upright, spreading, an early and abundant bearer. 
In many sections of New England, J!^ew York, Michigan, 
and Ontario, this is one of the most popular and profita- 
ble sorts for either table or market. In the South and 
South-west it matures with the late autumn varieties. 

Bailey's Sweet. — Supposed origin ISTew York. Large, 
roundish-conical, slightly oblong; yellow, mostly covered, 
shaded, and obscurely striped with red; flesh white, ten- 
der, very sweet.— Early to Mid- Winter. Tree vigorous, 
upright, spreading, productive. Valued for table use or 
near market, too tender for shipping. 

Belle de Boskoop. — Said to be of Eussian origin. Me- 
dium to large, oblate; skin yellow with light and dark 
red over nearly the whole surface; flesh a little coarse, 
crisp, tender, juicy and of very good quality. — Late Win- 
ter. 

Belmont (GtAte, etc.). — Origin Pennsylvania. Medium 
to large, roundish ; light, waxen-yellow, with vermilion- 
spotted cheek in the sun; flesh yellowish- white, very ten- 
der, juicy, mild, agreeable. — Early to Mid- Winter. Tree 
moderately vigorous, productive. A beautiful dessert 



APPLES. 343 

variety, fine in Northern Ohio, Michigan and New York, 
but variable South and West. 

Ben Davis (New York Pippin", etc.).— Supposed 
American. Medium to large, roundish-conical ; yellow, 
mostly overspread, splashed, and shaded with red ; flesh 
white, tender, juicy, sub-acid.— Early to late Winter. 
Tree hardy, vigorous, upright, spreading, productive, 
blooms late. Popular as a market variety at the West 
and South-west. 

Bentley's Sweet.— Supposed origin Virginia. Medium, 
roundish, flattened at the ends ; yellowish-green, shaded 
with pale red; flesh whitish, firm, juicy, sweet.— Late 
Winter. Tree moderately vigorous, a good bearer. Es- 
teemed in rich soils of the South-west. 

Blue Pearmain.— Very large, roundish ; dark purplish- 
red, with bloom ; flesh, yellowish, mild, sub-acid. —Early 
Winter. Tree vigorous and a moderate bearer. 

Bonum (Magi^um Boi^UM).— Origin North Carolina. 
Medium, oblate ; yellow, mostly covered with crimson and 
dark red; flesh white, often stained red next the skin, 
tender, juicy, rich, mild sub-acid. —Early Winter. Tree 
vigorous, upright, spreading, an early and abundant 
bearer. 

Broadwell.— Origin Ohio. Medium, oblate-conic; yel- 
low, with dull blush and carmine spots in the sun ; flesh 
whitish, firm, juicy, rich, sweet.— Early Winter. Tree 
vigorous, quite spreading, productive. A valuable apple 
for table or booking. 

Buckin|?hain(EQuiNETELY,FALLQuEEi^, etc.). —Origin 
unknown. Medium to large, oblate, slightly conic; green- 
ish-yellow, mostly covered with rich red ; flesh yellowish, 
coarse, breaking, juicy, sub-acid.— Early Winter. Tree 
moderately vigorous, hardy, and productive. This va- 
riety is widely known in the South and South-west, and is 
popular for market or table; it has over twenty synonyms. 



344 SELECT YAKIETIES OF FEUITS. 

Calef Sweet. — Origin New Hampshire. Large, round- 
ish, flattened ; yellow, dotted with gray and crimson ; 
flesh white, sweet, and good in quality. — Mid- Winter. 
Valuable for culinary purposes as well as for market. 

Canada Reinette (REiiq-ETTE Cakada, etc.). — Origin 
uncertain, probably foreign. Large to yery large, oblate- 
conical ; greenish-yellow ; flesh rather firm, juicy, liyely 
sub-acid. — Late Winter. Tree vigorous, with an open, 
spreading head, very productive. A popular variety, suc- 
cessful in most localities. 

Cannon Permain. — Origin American. Medium, round- 
ish-conic ; yellow, mostly covered with two shades of red ; 
flesh yellow, firm, crisp, rich, brisk sub-acid. — Mid- Win- 
ter. Tree vigorous, spreading, productive. Esteemed 
where known South and West. 

Cogswell . — Origin Connecticut. Above medium, round- 
ish-oblate ; red on yellow ground ; flesh yellowish-white, 
rather firm, juicy, aromatic sub-acid. — Early to late Win- 
ter. Tree a hardy, vigorous, upright grower, and good 
bearer. Extremely valuable for orchard or garden. 

Cooper's Market (Eedlikg). — Origin probably New 
Jersey. Medium, oblate-conic; yellow, shaded and striped 
with red; flesh white, tender, brisk sub-acid. — Late Win- 
ter. A good keeper. Tree hardy, vigorous, upright, 
productive. Considerably grown in Western New York. 

Cullasaga. — Origin North Carolina. Medium to large, 
roundish ; yellowish, shaded and striped with dark red ; 
flesh yellowish, firm, moderately juicy, mild sub-acid. — 
Early to late Winter. Tree a good grower and productive. 

Danvers Winter Sweet. — Origin Massachusetts. Me- 
dium to large, roundish-oblong ; yellow, with an orange 
blush; flesh yellow, sweet, rich. — Early to late Winter. 
Tree a poor grower but a good bearer. Useful for baking. 

Disharoon. — Origin Georgia. Medium, roundish, 
slightly conical ; yellowish -green ; flesh yellowish-white. 



APPLES. 345 

juicy, tender, with an agreeable sub-acid flavor. — Early 
AVinter. Tree vigorous and productive. Cultivated 
largely at the South. 

Domine (En"glish Red Streak, etc.). — Origin uncer- 
tain. Medium, oblate; greenish-yellow, with stripes and 
splashes of red in the sun; flesh white, tender, juicy, 
sprightly, pleasant sub-acid. — Early and Mid- Winter. 
Tree rapid, vigorous grower, and a very early and abund- 
ant bearer. It is a popular and profitable orchard sort in 
most localities. 

Dutch Mignonne.— Origin Holland. Medium, round- 
ish-oblate; yellow, shaded, striped, and splashed with red; 
flesh yellowish, tender, juicy, slightly sub-acid. — Early to 
late Winter. Tree moderately vigorous, upright, spread- 
ing, hardy and very productive. 

English Russet (Poughkeepsie Russet). — Origin un- 
known. Medium, roundish, slightly conical ; greenish- 
yellow, mostly covered with russet; flesh yellowish-white, 
pleasant, mild sub- acid. — Late Winter. Tree a moderate, 
erect grower, forming a straight, upright, round head, 
very productive. A profitable variety. 

Esopus Spitzenbur^h. — Origin New York. Above 
medium to large, oblong-roundish; yellow, mostly covered 
with rich red ; flesh yellow, crisp, juicy, rich, brisk aro- 
matic flavor. — Mid to late Winter. Tree a healthy but 
not strong grower, a good but not early bearer. One of 
the very best for dessert. 

Fallawater (Tulpehocken, etc.).— Origin Pennsyl- 
vania. Very large, round; yellowish-green, dull red 
shade in the sun; flesh greenish-white, juicy, tender, 
pleasant sub-acid. — Mid- Winter. Tree a very strong, 
rather irregular grower, productive. A popular market 
sort in many sections. It has many synonyms. 

Fall Queen (Haas).— Origin Missouri. Large, flat, 
ribbed, or quartered; yellowish-green, streaked and nearly 



346 SELECT VARIETIES OF FEUITS. 

covered with dull brownisli-red; flesh white, tender, j^iicy, 
sub-acid, good. — September to November. Tree very 
hardy and vigorous. Highly esteemed at the West and 
South-west as a profitable market fruit and for family 
use. 

Fameuse (Sisrow). — Origin supposed to be France. 
Medium, roundish ; greenish-yellow, mostly covered with 
dark crimson ; flesh remarkable for its snowy whiteness, 
very tender, juicy, with a slight, pleasant perfume. — 
Early Winter. Tree moderately vigorous, an early and 
abundant bearer, very hardy. Highly prized for table or 
market. 

Gilpin (Little Eomaxite, etc.). — Origin Virginia. 
Small to medium, roundish-oblong ; yellow, mostly 
covered with red; flesh yellow, firm. Juicy, rich. — Late 
Winter. Tree very hardy, vigorous, very productive. 
An old sort, highly prized South and West for orchard- 
ing. 

Golden Russet of Western New York. — Medium, 
roundish; yellow, mostly covered with dull russet, fre- 
quently a dull blush on one side ; flesh greenish-white, 
fine-grained, sprightly, mild sub-acid. — Late Winter. 
Tree vigorous, spreading, an early and abundant bearer. 
A popular variety wherever known. It is distinguished 
among other russets by its peculiar light-colored speckled 
shoots. 

Granite Beauty. — Origin ISTew Hampshire. Medium 
to large, roundish-ovate, ribbed; yellow, striped bright 
red; flesh whitish, tender, juicy, pleasant sub-acid. — Mid- 
Winter. Tree vigorous, spreading, hardy. 

Green Cheese. — Medium, oblate; greenish-yellow; 
flesh yellowish-white, crisp, tender, juicy, sprightly sub- 
acid. — Mid- Winter. Tree moderately vigorous, upright, 
blooms late and bears well. It is largely grown South 
and South-west. 



APPLES. 347 

Green Sweet (Hou^ey Greening). — Medium, round- 
ish, oblate; green, becoming yellowish-green at maturity; 
flesh whitish, tender, juicy, sweet. — Mid- Winter. Tree 
vigorous, upright, spreading, productive. 

Grimes' Golden. — Origin Virginia. Medium, roundish, 
oblate; flesh yellow, tender, juicy, rich, spicy sub-acid. — 
Late Winter. Tree vigorous, upright, productive. Has 
been considerably disseminated recently ; succeeds best 
West and South. 

Hall I — Origin North Carolina. Small, oblate, slightly 
conic; greenish-yellow, mostly shaded with crimson; flesh 
yellowish, fine grained, with a rich aromatic flavor. — 
Early to late Winter. Growth moderate, upright, pro- 
ductive. Extensively grown and highly prized at the 
South. 

Hewes' Virginia Crab.— Small, round ; dull red ; flesh 
fibrous, astringent ; valued for cider. 

Hoover (Black Coal). — Origin South Carolina. 
Medium, roundish ; yellowish, splashed with crimson, 
and spotted with whitish dots ; flesh yellowish, tender, 
juicy, rich. — Early Winter. Tree spreading. Esteemed 
at the South. 

Hubbardston Nonsuch. — Origin Massachusetts. Large 
roundish, oblong ; yellow, mostly covered wdth red; flesh 
yelloAvish, juicy, tender. — Early Winter. Tree a good 
but irregular, spreading grower, productive. A popular 
and valuable sort. 

Hurlbut. — Origin Connecticut. Medium, oblate, slight- 
ly conic ; yellow, striped red ; flesh white, crisp, tender, 
mild sub-acid flavor. — Early Winter. Tree very vigorous 
and a great bearer. 

Jcwett's Fine Red (Nodhead). — Origin New Hamp- 
shire. Medium, roundish-oblate; greenish-yeilow, striped 
crimson ; flesh tender, fine grained, juicy, mild, very 



348 SELECT VAEIETIES OF FEUITS. 

pleasant. — Mid- Autumn into Winter. Tree a moderate 
grower and productive. 

Jonathan. — Origin New York. Medium, roundish- 
conical ; yellow, mostly covered with red; flesh white, 
tender, juicy, sprightly vinous. — Early to late Winter. 
Tree a hardy, moderately vigorous grower, upright, 
spreading, an early and abundant bearer. One of the 
best and most popular sorts, both East and West, either 
for table or market. 

Junaluskee. — Origin North Carolina. Medium to 
large, roundish, flattened; yellow, shaded on the sun 
side ; flesh yellowish, moderately juicy, sub-acid. — Early 
to late Winter. Tree a moderately vigorous grower, pro- 
ductive. 

King of Tompkins County. — Origin New Jersey. 
Large, roundish ; yellow, shaded and striped with red ; 
flesh yellowish, tender, juicy, rich, vinous, aromatic 
sub-acid. — Mid- Winter. Tree very vigorous, spreading, 
productive. 

Lady Apple.— Origin France. Small, oblate; lemon- 
yellow, with a brilliant red cheek ; flesh white, crisp, 
tender, juicy, pleasant. — Mid to late Winter. Tree 
moderately vigorous, very upright, productive. A beau- 
tiful and delicious dessert apple, and a profitable market 
sort. It often commands $10 to $20 per bbl. 

Lady's Sweet. — Origin New York. Large, roundish ; 
yellowish-green, nearly covered with red ; flesh tender, 
juicy, crisp, sprightly, agreeable, sweet. — Late Winter. 
Tree a thrifty but not strong grower, an early and 
abundant bearer. Valued as a dessert sort and keeper. 

Limber Twig.— Origin North Carolina. Medium or 
above, roundish ; greenish-yellow, shaded with dull red ; 
flesh not very tender, juicy, brisk sub-acid. — Late Wmter. 
Tree vigorous, hardy, productive. A popular market 
variety South and West. 



APPLES. 349 

McAfee's IVonsnch (Large Striped Winter Pear- 
main). — Origin Kentucky. Medium to large, roundish- 
oblate ; yellow, striped and splashed with red ; flesh 
yellowish, tender, juicy, mild sub-acid, rich. — Early 
AV'inter. Tree vigorous and productive. Esteemed at 
the West and South-west. 

Mann. — Origin New York. Medium to large, round- 
ish-oblate ; skin yellow when ripe, often brownish-red 
where exposed, and sprinkled with gray dots ; flesh yel- 
lowish, juicy, mild sub-acid flavor. Tree a good grower 
and productive. A late keeper, and valued particularly 
on that account. 

Melon. — Origin New York. Medium or above, round- 
ish-oblate; pale yellow, mostly covered with red, and 
traces of russet; flesh white, tender, juicy, vinous sub- 
acid. — Mid- Winter. Tree a slow grower, making a round, 
small head, good bearer. 

Milam. — Origin doubtful. Medium or small, round; 
greenish, striped and shaded with red; flesh rather firm, 
flavor pleasant sub-acid, not rich. — Late Winter. Tree 
hardy and productive. Valued at the West and South- 
west. 

Missouri Pippin (Missouri Keeper).— Origin Mis- 
souri. Large to very large, roundish-oblate; whitish - 
yellow, striped and splashed with light and dark red; 
flesh yellowish, rather coarse, crisp, mild sub-acid, good 
flavor. — Late Winter. Tree upright, spreading, hardy 
and an abundant bearer. Eegarded as a very valuable 
variety in Missouri, Kansas etc. 

Monmontli Pippin. — Origin New Jersey. Large, ob- 
late; pale yellow, with a red cheek in the sun; flesh juicy, 
brisk, aromatic sub-acid. — Middle to late Winter. Keeps 
well. Tree a moderate, upright grower, and productive. 
A beautiful and excellent fruit. 

Moore's Sweet (Red Sweet Pippii!^, etc.).— Medium, 



350 SELECT VARIETIES OF FSUITS. 

roundish, flattened; dark, dull red; flesli yellowist, 
pleasant, rich, sweet. — Early to late Winter. Tree mod- 
erately vigorous, hardy, very productive. A profitable 
orchard sort for market, cooking, or stock-feeding. 

Mother. ^Origin Massachusetts. Medium, roundish, 
slightly conical; yellow, nearly covered, splashed, and 
marbled with rich shades of red; flesh yellowish, tender, 
juicy, rich, aromatic sub-acid. — Early Winter. Tree 
moderately vigorous, upright, productive. A valuable 
dessert apple. 

Munson Sweet (OraisGe Sweet, etc.).— Origin prob- 
ably Massachusetts. Medium, flat; yellow, with some- 
times a blush; flesh yellowish, juicy, sweet. — Autumn 
and early Winter. Tree a vigorous, spreading grower, 
and a good bearer. 

IVcwtown Pippin (Geeen Newtowk Pippin).— Origin 
Long Island. Medium, roundish, obscurely ribbed; olive- 
green, brownish on the sunny side; flesh greenish- white, 
very juicy, crisp, with delicious aromatic flavor. — Late 
Winter. Tree a slender, slow grower, on rich soils 
makes a medium-sized round head, productive. Both 
this and the Yellow Newtown Pippin require rich soil 
and good care, and with these are profitable only in 
particular localities. There is so little difference between 
the two that many regard them as identical. 

Newtown Spitzenbur^li (Vandevere ofNev^^ York). 
— Medium, oblate, roundish; yellow, shaded and striped 
with red, light bloom; flesh yellow, tender, juicy, rich, 
sprightly vinous. — Early Winter. Tree moderately 
vigorous, spreading, very productive. Succeeds in nearly 
all soils, and valuable for table or market. It has ten or 
more synonyms, and is generally and popularly known 
in all New York as Vandervere of New York. The name 
of Newtown Spitzenburgh having been first given this 
apple by Ooxe, it has again been adopted. 



APPLES. 351 

Nickajack (Winter Rose, etc.). — Origin North Caro- 
lina. Large size, roundish; yellowish, striped and shaded 
with red; flesh yellowish, moderately tender, juicy, pleas- 
ant. — Late Winter. Tree a vigorous, upright, spreading 
grower, forming a large head, hardy and productive. 
The variety is extensively grown South and West, and 
has many synonyms. 

IVorthern Spy. — Origin New York. Large, roundish- 
oblate, conical; pale yellow, mostly covered, when ex- 
posed to the sun, with stripes of light and dark red; 
flesh white, fine-grained, tender, sub-acid, sprightly, 
delicious. — Mid to late Winter. Tree a rapid, upright 
grower, requires good soil, blooms late, very productive, 
but not an early bearer. A fruit of unrivalled beauty 
and excellence. 

Ortley (Woolman's Loi^rG, etc.). — Origin New Jersey. 
Medium to large, roundish, oblong-conic; greenish-yel- 
low, fine yellow at maturity; flesh white, fine-gramed, 
tender, Juicy, pleasant sub-acid. — Mid- Winter. Tree 
vigorous, with slender shoots, an abundant bearer. The 
Ortley has some thirty synonyms, is a hardy tree, and 
popular South and West. 

Peck's Pleasant. — Origin probably Rhode Island. 
Above medium, roundish, flattened; yellow with a red 
blush on the sunny side; flesh yellowish, fine-grained, 
juicy, crisp, tender, aromatic sub-acid. — Mid- Winter. 
Tree a moderate, upright, spreading grower, a regular, 
even bearer. Very valuable for market or table use. 

Pewaukce. — Origin Wisconsin. Raised from seed of 
the Duchess of Oldenburgh, by George P. Pepper, Pe- 
waukee. Wis. Medium to large, roundish-oblate, yellow, 
striped and splashed with red, surface covered with a 
grayish bloom; flesh white, somewhat coarse, juicy, sub- 
acid. — Late Winter. Tree vigorous and very hardy. 



352 SELECT VARIETIES OF FEUITS. 

Esteemed especially in cold regions, on account of its 
great hardiness. 

Phillips' Sweet. — Origin Ohio. Above medium, 
roundish, flattened, inclining to conic; light yellow, 
shaded and striped, mostly covered with shades of red; 
flesh white, crisp, pleasant, juicy, rich, sweet. — Early to 
late Winter. Tree a thrifty, upright grower, an early 
and abundant bearer. One of the finest of sweet apples. 

Plumb's Cider.— Origin doubtful, but introduced in 
Wisconsin by I. 0. Plumb. Medium, roundish, slightly 
conic ; greenish-yellow, shaded and splashed with dull 
red ; flesh whitish, tender, juicy, mild sub-acid. — Early 
Winter. Tree, hardy and vigorous. 

Pomme Grise. — Origin probably Erance. Below me- 
dium, roundish-oblate ; greenish-gray, mostly covered 
with russet ; flesh tender and rich. — Mid -Winter. Tree 
a moderate grower, forming a small head, and bearing 
early. Valued as a dessert fruit. 

Pryor's Red. — Origin supposed Virginia. Medium, 
roundish-oblate ; greenish-yellow, shaded with red ; 
flesh yellowish, tender, juicy, pleasant sub-acid. — Late 
Winter. Tree moderately vigorous, upright, spreading, 
requires a rich soil. Much grown and valued in Ken- 
tucky. 

Rambo. — Origin Delaware. Medium size, flat; yellow 
and red; flesh tender, rich, mild sub-acid. — Early Winter. 
Tree vigorous, spreading, productive. The Eambo is an 
old, highly and widely esteemed variety, for orchard or 
garden. 

Ramsdell's Sweet (Ej^glish Sweet, etc.).— Origin 
unknown. Above medium, oblong ; mostly covered 
with red, and a bloom ; flesh yellowish, tender, sweet, 
rich. — Early Winter. Tree vigorous, upright, an early 
bearer. 



APPLES. 



353 



Rawle's Janet (Jei^itox, etc.).-Origin Virginia 
Aboye medium, oblate-conic; yellow, striped and 
shaded with red; flesh whitish-yellow, tender, pleasant 
juicy, sub-acid. -Late Winter. Tree very hardy and 
vigorous, blooms late, productive. Largely cultivated 
m Missouri and other parts of the South-west. 

Red Canada (Eichfield Nonsuch, etc.). —Medium 
roundish ; yellow, mostly covered with red ; flesh ten- 
der, crisp, juicy, brisk, delicate, mild sub-acid.— Late 
V^inter. Tree a thrifty but slender grower, productive 
A popular and valuable sort in all the Middle, l^forth and 
West sections ; a superior fruit for table or market -Very 
successful and popular in Michigan, where it is fre- 
quently called '^Steele's Red Winter." 

Red Russet.— Origin New Hampshire. Large round- 
ish-conical ; yellow, shaded with dark red where exposed 
to the sun, and with considerable russet over most of the 
surface; flesh yellow, firm, crisp, with a rich sub-acid 
flavor.— Late Winter. Tree vigorous, resembling Bald- 
win, and productive. 

Red Winter Pearmain (Batchelor, etc.).— Origin 
unknown. Medium, roundish-oblong; yellowish-white 
mostly covered with maroon-red ; flesh whitish -yellow' 
tender, juicy, mild sub-acid— Early to late Winter. Tree 
a moderate, upright grower, and good bearer. This 
variety has a dozen or more synonyms, under some one 
of which it is widely grown West and South. 

Rhode Island Greening. -Large, roundish; greenish- 
yellow; flesh yellow, tender, juicy, aromatic acid.— Early 
Winter. Tree a \^gorous, strong grower, and very pro- 
ductive. This variety is too well known to need a word 
It is one of the most profitable and valuable in almost all 
the North, but South it drops its fruit too early. 

Ribston Pippin.— Origin England. Medium, roundish- 
greenish-yellow and dull red; flesh yellow, firm, crisp' 



854 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. 

rich, aromatic. — Early to late Winter. Tree moderately 
vigorous, spreading, productive. Valued in Maine and 
all Northern sections. 

Ilid^e PIppiffl. — Origin supposed Pennsylvania. Large, 
roundish-conical, ribbed ; yellow, sprinkled with russet 
and crimson dots; flesh yellowish, crisp, juicy, with a 
mild, somewhat aromatic flavor. — Late Winter. Tree a 
good grower and bearer. Esteemed for its good keeping 
qualities. Cultivated most in New Jersey and Pennsyl- 
vania, 

Roman Stem. — Origin New Jersey. Medium, roundish; 
whitish-yellow, with a delicate brownish blush; flesh 
tender, juicy, with a mild, pleasant, sub-acid flavor. — 
Mid-Winter. Tree hardy and productive. Succeeds in 
the Middle, Southern and Western States. A good fruit, 
but in a great measure superseded by other sorts. 

Iloxbury Russet. — Origin Massachusetts. Medium to 
large, roundish, flattened ; dull green, covered with 
brownish-yellow russet ; flesh greenish-white, moderately 
juicy, sub-acid. — Late Winter. Tree moderately vigorous, 
productive. An old, well-known, popular sort, success- 
ful in all New England and large portions of the Middle 
and Western States. 

Shiawassee Beauty. — Origin Michigan. Medium, ob- 
late ; whitish, striped and splashed with red ; flesh very 
white, firm, tender, with an agreeable sub-acid flavor. 
Early Winter. Eesembles Eameuse. Tree not quite so 
good a grower in the nursery. 

Shockley. — Origin Georgia. Below medium, roundish, 
conical; yellow, mostly covered with red; flesh crisp, 
juicy, rich, pleasant. — Late Winter. Tree moderately 
vigorous, upright, hardy, and very productive. Very 
popular and profitable at the South. 

SmitSa's Cider. — Origin Pennsylvania. Medium to 
large, roundish ; yellow, shaded with red ; flesh whitish, 



APPLES. 855 

t 

crisp, tender, juicy, pleasant, mild, sub-acid. — Early to 
late Winter. Tree a very vigorous but straggling grower, 
productive. Popular as a market-orchard sort, in many 
localities; succeeds best from Xew Jersey southward. 

Smokehouse. — Origin Pennsylvania. Above medium, 
roundish-oblate; yellow, shaded with red; flesh yellowish, 
juicy, rather rich sub-acid. — Early Winter. Tree mod- 
erately vigorous, a good bearer. Esteemed where known 
for market and cooking. 

Stevenson's Winter. — Origin Mississippi. Medium, 
roundish-oblate ; -greenish-yellow, shaded with red ; flesh 
whitish, firm, juicy, with a pleasant sub-acid flavor. — 
Late Winter. Tree a moderate grower. Highly valued 
at the South. 

Sutton Beauty.— Origin Massachusetts. Medium to 
large, roundish, somewhat in3lining to conical ; w^axen- 
yellow striped with crimson; flesh whitish, crisp, tender, 
juicy, sub-acid, fine flavored. Mid- Winter. Tree a good 
grower and bearer. The fruit is very handsome and keeps 
well. 

Swaar. — Origin New York. Large, roundish ; yellow 
at maturity ; flesh yellowish, fine-grained, tender, rich, 
spicy, aromatic, mild sub-acid. — Middle to late Winter. 
Tree a moderate grower, good bearer, needs a deep, dry 
soil and good culture. 

Talman's Sweet. — Origin Ehode Island. Medium, 
round ; yellowish ; flesh white, rather firm, rich, sweet. 
— Early to late Winter. Tree vigorous, hardy, and pro- 
ductive. Highly valued over a large territory as a profit- 
able orchard sort, for cooking, or stock purposes. 

Tewksbury Winter Blush. — Origin New Jersey. Small, 
oblate, roundish ; light yellow, with a red cheek ; flesh 
yellowish, moderately juicy, pleasant sub-acid. — Very late 
Winter. Tree a rapid, upright grower, very productive. 
An old sort, valued for its long-keeping qualities. 



356 SELECT VARIETIES OF FEUITS. 

Twenty-Ounce (Oatuga Eed Steeak). — Origin sup- 
posed Connecticut. Very large, roundish- greenish-yel- 
low, marbled and striped with purplish-red ; flesh rather 
coarse, brisk sub-acid. — Mid- Autumn to early Winter. 
Tree an upright, thrifty, compact grower, and a good 
bearer. It is one of the popular market sorts, always 
fair and handsome, excellent for cooking. 

Virginia Greening. — Origin supposed Southern. Large, 
oblate; yellowish-green, sparsely covered with large brown 
dots ; flesh yellow, firm, with a pleasant sub-acid flavor. 
Tree vigorous and productive. Valuable as a late keeper. 

Wagener. — Origin New York. Medium, roundish, ob- 
late ; yellow, mostly shaded with red ; flesh yellowish, 
tender, juicy, brisk, slightly vinous. — Early Winter. Tree 
a thrifty, upright grower, and an early and over-abundant 
bearer. 

Wealtliy. — Originated from seed by Peter M. Gideon, 
near St. Paul, Minn. Medium, roundish; whitish-yellow, 
mostly covered with dark red, smooth and oily; flesh 
white, fine-grained, tender. Juicy, vinous and fine-flavored. 
— Mid- Winter. Tree exceedingly hardy. 

Western Beauty. — Origin unknown. Large to very 
large; pale yellow, shaded with bright red; flesh whitish- 
yellow, coarse, tender, juicy, mild sub-acid. — Early Win- 
ter. Tree very vigorous. 

Westfield Seek - no - Furtlier. — Origin Connecticut. 
Large, roundish-conical; greenish-yellow, mostly covered 
with dull red; flesh white, fine-grained, tender, rich, sub- 
acid. — ^Early to Mid- Winter. Tree a moderate, healthy, 
upright, spreading grower, very productive. 

Wliite Pippin. — Large, roundish, oblate; greenish, be- 
coming pale whitish-yellow at maturity, sometimes a dull 
blush cheek in the sun; flesh white, tender, juicy, crisp, 
rich, sub-acid. — Late Winter. Tree thrifty, upright 



APPLES. 357 

grower, and a good bearer. Considerably grown in the 
West and highly esteemed. 

White Winter Pearmain.— Medium or above, roundish- 
oblong; pale yellow, with a blush cheek in sun exposures; 
flesh yellowish, tender, juicy, pleasant sub-acid. — Late 
Winter. Tree hardy, vigorous, spreading, productive. 
Esteemed in some localities at the West; little known East. 

Willow Twig. — Medium, roundish, or roundish-oblate; 
yellow, shaded and marbled with dull red; flesh not very 
tender, pleasant sub-acid. — Very late Winter. Tree hardy, 
but a spreading, poor grower while young, very produc- 
tive, and much cultivated at the South-west as a profita- 
ble market sort, on account of its keeping and carrying 
qualities. 

Wine (WiN^TEK Wike, Hay's, Pen^^^tsylyai^ia Eed 
Streak). — Origin Delaware. Above medium, round, or 
roundish ; yellow, mostly covered with lively, rich, deep 
red; flesh yellowish- white, juicy, rich, vinous, pleasant. 
— Early to late Winter. Tree a thrifty grower, hardy, and 
very productive. Widely successful West and South. 

Winesap..— Origin Xew Jersey. Medium, roundish- 
oblong, conical; yellow ground, mostly covered with rich, 
dark red ; flesh yellowish, firm, crisp, juicy, rich flavor. 
— Early to late Winter. Tree a healthy grower, very 
hardy, an early and abundant bearer. Successful and 
profitable as an orchard variety over a large portion of 
our country, especially West and South. 

Winter Sweet Paradise.— Origin Pennsylvania. Large, 
roundish-oblate ; dull green, with a brownish-red blush ; 
flesh white, fine-grained, juicy, sweet. — Early and Mid- 
Winter. Tree a vigorous, upright grower, productive, 
but not an early bearer. 

Wolf River. — Origin Wisconsin. Supposed to be a 
seedling of the Alexander, which it resembles. Large to 
very large, roundish-oblate; pale greenish-yellow, shaded 



358 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. 

with light and dark red on the snnny side; flesh ^hite, 
rather coarse, juicy, pleasant, mild, sub-acid with a pe- 
culiar spicy flayor.— Early Winter. Tree vigorous and 
very hardy. 

Yellow Bellflower. — Origin New Jersey. Large, ob- 
long, slightly conical; lemon-yellow, usually with a blush 
in sun exposures; flesh breaking, tender, juicy, sprightly, 
sharp sub-acid. — Early to late Winter. Tree moderately 
vigorous, forming a spreading, rather drooping head, not 
an early but abundant bearer. 

Yellow Newtown Pippin* — Above medium to large, 
roundish-oblate; greenish, becoming quite yellow when 
fully ripe; flesh firm, crisp, juicy, with a rich, high 
flavor. — Late Winter. Tree a moderate grower, requiring 
a rich soil, when it is productive and profitable. 

York Imperial (Johxsok's Fii^e Winter). — Supposed 
origin Pennsylvania. Medium, oblate; whitish, shaded 
with crimson; flesh yellowish, firm, crisp, juicy, mild 
sub-acid, with a pleasant flavor. — Mid- Winter. Tree 
moderately vigorous, productive. Very popular in South- 
ern Pennsylvania. 

CLASS lY. — apples POR ORKAMEiq"T OR PRESERYIITG. 

The Siberian Crabs are beautiful little fruits, varying 
in size from an inch to an inch and a half in diameter. 
They are much esteemed for preserving, and as orna- 
mental trees, whether in blossom or loaded with their 
brilliantly-colored fruit, they merit a place in the smallest 
garden. In extensive grounds they may be planted in 
groups, producing a fine effect. , 

Briers Sweeti — Origin Wisconsin. Said to be the re- 
sult of crossing the Siberian Crab with the Bailey apple. 
Large as Transcendent; pale yellow, splashed with car- 
mine; flesh yellowish, crisp, juicy, sweet and rich. — 
Early Autumn. 



APPLES. 359 

Cherry Crab. — Small, roundish, pointed; light yellow, 
shaded with red; flesh crisp, pleasant; hangs long on the 
tree. — Early Autumn. Tree a moderate, healthy grower, 
makes a handsome, round head. 

Chicago. — Origin Illinois. Small, oblong ; yellow 
ground with bright cheek; flesh yellow, crisp, sprightly, 
sub-acid. — Mid-Winter. Tree a vigorous grower. 

Coral. — Origin Illinois, Small, conical; yellow with 
yermilion; flesh yellowish, crisj), juicy, rich, mild sub- 
acid. — Early Winter. Tree very vigorous. 

Currant. — An ornamental variety, producing fruit the 
size of currants, and borne in clusters. 

Dartmouth. — Origin New Hampshire. Medium to 
large ; dark crimson and orange, with bloom; fine for 
cooking, preserves, or for cider. 

Hyslop. — Large, for a crab, roundish-egg-shaped; dark, 
rich red, with a thick blue bloom; flesh yellowish; fine 
for cooking or cider; bears in clusters. Tree a strong, 
spreading grower. 

Lady Crab. — Small, roundish, flattened; rich dark red, 
with some russet; flesh yellowish, mild sub-acid. Tree a 
vigorous, very upright grower. A foreign variety of 
great beauty. 

Lady Elgin. — Origin Illinois. Large for a Siberian, 
roundish-oblate ; skin whitish-yellow, overspread with 
bright red; flesh white, fine, tender, juicy, with a mild 
pleasant sub-acid flavor. — Early to late Autumn. Said 
to be excellent for canning. 

Lake Winter. — Origin Wisconsin. Described as me- 
dium to large, round, smooth; pale yellow, mostly cov- 
ered with bright blush; flesh fine-grained, firm, juicy, 
sub-acid. — October to March. Tree a free grower and 
early bearer. 

Large Red Siberian Crab. — Nearly twice the size of 



360 SELECT YAEIETIES OF FRUITS. 

the common Siberian crab; yellow, shaded on the sunny- 
side, with bright red. Tree very vigorous, forming a 
large head. Valued for preserving. 

Large Yellow Siberian Crab. — Eesembles the fore- 
going except in the shape of its fruit, which is more oval, 
and the color a light, clear yellow. 

Marengo. — Origin Illinois. Large, roundish; yellow 
ground covered with bright warm red; flesh yellowish- 
white, crisp, juicy, with a mild sub-acid flavor. — Early 
to lafce Winter. 

Montreal Beauty. — Large, roundish, flattened; bright 
yellow, mostly covered with clear, bright, rich red. 

Oblong Siberian Crab. — Medium size, oblong in form; 
beautifully shaded with rich crimson; thin bloom. 

Red Siberian Crab. — Small, roundish ; bright lively 
scarlet, over a close yellow ground, light bloom; an old, 
well-known sort. 

Sylvan Sweet. — Origin Wisconsin. Large, roundish- 
oblate; light yellow, nearly covered with bright red; flesh 
yellowish, tender, juicy, mild, pleasant, sweet. — Mid- 
Summer. 

Transcendent. — Large, roundish-oblong, slightly flat- 
tened; golden-yellow, with a crimson cheek in the sun, 
white bloom, often the red nearly covers the entire sur- 
face. Tree a strong, rapid grower and abundant bearer. 
It is highly prized in some sections as a table fruit in 
autumn. 

Van Wyck. — Origin New York. Large, roundish, 
slightly conic ; whitish, shaded with bright red, and 
covered with bloom; flesh whitish, moderately juicy, 
sweet, rich. — Early Autumn. Tree a free, upright grower. 

Whitney. — Origin Illinois. Large; skin glossy-green, 
splashed with carmine; flesh tender, juicy, with a mild. 



APPLES. 361 

pleasant flavor. — Early Autumn. Tree a handsome 
grower, with dark green, glossy foliage, and very prolific. 

Yellow Siberian Crab. — The fruit of this is a trifle 
larger than Bed Siberian, and is of a fine, clear yellow 
color. 

In addition to the above there are several other varie- 
ties, chiefly originated at the West, but they are not well 
enough known to go on the list. 

SELECT LIST OF APPLES. 

The following varieties are recommended for the East- 
em and Middle States. 

Summer. — Early Harvest, Early Strawberry, Golden 
Sweet, Large Yellow Bough, Primate, Eed Astrachan, 
Williams' Favorite. 

Autumn. — Chenango Strawberry, Duchess of Olden- 
burgh, Fall Pippin, Gravenstein, Hawthorn den, Jefleris, 
Jersey Sweet, Keswick Oodlin, Lowell, Lyman's Pump- 
kin Sweet, Porter, St. La^Tence, Stump. 

Winter. — Baldwin, Esopus Spitzenburgh, Fameuse, 
Golden Russet of Western New York, Hubbardston Non- 
such, Jonathan, King of Tompkins County, Lady Apple, 
Monmouth Pippin, Mother, Northern Spy, Peck's Pleas- 
ant, Pomme Grise, Red Canada, Rhode Island Greening, 
Roxbury Russet, Sutton Beauty, Talman's Sweet, 
Twenty-Ounce, Wagener, Yellow-Bellflower. 

For the West and South: 

Nearly all the summer and fall varieties of the East- 
ern and Middle States succeed well at the AYest and 
South. The winter varieties specially adapted to those 
regions are so designated in the previous lists. In Cal- 
ifornia and Oregon our best Northern sorts generally 
succeed, but the winter varieties of the South will be 
16 



362 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. 

better adapted to the warmer districts of California, tlian 
our Northern winter sorts. 

CHOICE GARDEN VARIETIES. 

Eed Astrachan, Early Strawberry, Early Joe, Keswick 
Codlin (cooking). Summer Eose, Duchess of Oldenburgh, 
Fall Pippin, Gravenstein, Garden Koyal, Dyer, Fameuse, 
Jonathan, Lady Apple, Melon, Northern Spy, Pomme 
Grise,Red Canada, Swaar,Esopus Spitzenburgh,Wagener. 

TWENTY VERY LARGE AND BEAUTIFUL SORTS FOR DWARFS. 

Red Astrachan, Large Sweet Bough, Primate, Beauty 
of Kent, Alexander, Duchess of Oldenburgh, Fall Pippin, 
Williams' Favorite, Gravenstein, Hawthornden, Maiden's 
Bhish,Porter, Menagere, Red Bietigheimer, Bailey Sweet, 
Canada Reinette, Northern Spy, Mother, King of Tomp- 
kins County, Twenty-Ounce, Wagener. 

Section 2. — Select Pears. 

CLASS I. — summer pears. 

Andre Desportes. — Origin France. Medium, ob ovate, 
obtuse-pjrriform; pale green, marbled on the sunny side 
with red; flesh white, fine, juicy, melting. — Early Sum- 
mer. Tree a good grower as a standard or dwarf, and 
productive. A valuable addition to the list of early 
pears. 

Bartlett (Williams' Bonchretien, etc.). — Origin 
England. Large, obtuse-pyriform; bright, clear yellow 
when fully ripe, sometimes a little russet; flesh white, 
buttery, juicy, musky perfume. — Late Summer. Tree 
an upright, thrifty, healthy grower, very productive. The 
Bartlett is one of the few good pears that succeed every- 



PEARS. 303 

"vrliero; it has no competitor as a summer market fruit: 
bears early as a standard. 

Bcurre Gifliird. — Origin France. Medium, pyriform; 
greenish-yellow, with considerable red in the sun; flesh 
white, melting, juicy, vinous, perfumed. — Early Summer. 
Tree a slender grower, healthy, hardy, very productive. 
A beantiful frnit and the best of its season; should be 
gathered early. 

Bloodi^ood. — Origin Long Island. Medium, turbinate, 
fleshy at base of stalk; skin yellow, with russet dots 
and network markings; flesh yellowish-white, buttery, 
melting, sugary, very aromatic— Mid-Summer. Tree 
is hardy, with close, firm, short-jointed wood, an early 
and abnndant bearer. A delicious pear, but not at- 
tractive for market. 

Branny wine.— Origin Pennsylvania. Medium, pyri- 
form; dnll yellowish-green, slightly russeted, and ablush 
cheek on the sunny side; flesh white, juicy, melting, 
vinons, aromatic— Late Summer. Tree an upright, 
vigorous grower, with rich glossy foliage and very pro- 
ductive. 

€lapp's Favorite. — Origin Massachusetts. Large, obo- 
vate; pale yellow^, marbled and splashed with red and 
light brown; flesh white, fine-grained, juicy, melting, 
buttery, rich, vinous, perfumed, sweet. — Eipens about 
ten days before the Bartlett. Tree an upright, spreading, 
open grower, bearing its fruit evenly distributed, very 
productive. Supposed to be a cross between Flemish 
Beauty and Bartlett; the tree resembles the former, the 
fruit the latter. 

Dearborn's Seedling?.— Origin Massachusetts. Below 
medium, roundish-oval; skin smooth, light yellow, or 
straw-color; flesh white, very juicy, sweet, melting, 
sprightly.— Late Summer. Tree a fine grower, an early 



364 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. 

and profuse bearer. The tree is quite hardy and succeeds 
in almost all localities. Very fine for the dessert. 

Doyenne d'Et^ (Summer Dotekne). — Origin Bel- 
gium. Small, roundish; fine yellow, often with a bright 
red cheek in the sun; flesh white, melting, juicy, sweet, 
pleasant. — Early Summer. Tree an upright, vigorous 
grower, and early and abundant bearer; this is the first to 
ripen of the really good pears. 

Duchesse de Berry d'Ete. — Origin France. Small, 
roundish, slightly pyriform; yellow, shaded with light 
red, more or less russet, and often a red cheek; flesh 
juicy, melting, yinous. — Late Summer. Tree a fine, 
vigorous grower, and a good bearer. An excellent and 
beautiful fruit, not extensively cultivated. 

Madeleine (Citron^ des Carmes). — Origin France. 
Medium, obovate-pyriform; bright yellow, with a red 
cheek; flesh white, juicy, sugary, sprightly, aromatic. — 
Early Summer. Tree a good grower, forming a fine, up- 
right head, productive. A very old and excellent sort, 
not so much planted as formerly, owing to the introduction 
of new varieties. 

Manning's Elizabeth. — Origin Belgium. Below me- 
dium, obtuse-pyriform; bright yellow, with a lively red 
cheek; flesh white, juicy, very melting, sugary, spright- 
ly, aromatic. — Late Summer. Tree a moderate grower, 
an even, regular bearer. The small size, beauty, and ex- 
cellent quality of this variety recommend it to all ama- 
teurs. 

Osband's Summer (Summer Virgalieu). — Origin New 
York. Medium, obtuse-pyriform; yellow, dotted with 
green and brown dots, thin russet, red cheek in the sun. 
— Mid-Summer. Tree moderately vigorous, upright, an 
early and abundant bearer. 

Petite Marguerite. — Origin France. Medium, obovate; 
greenish-yellow with brownish-red cheek and covered 



PEARS. 3C5 

with greenish dots ; flesh fine, buttery, melting, juicy, 
vinous and very agreeable. — Mid-Summer. Tree yigor- 
ous and an early and abundant bearer. Succeeds admir- 
ably as a standard or dwarf. Best pear of its season. 

Rosticzer* — Origin Germany. Medium or below, ob- 
long-pyriform ; dull yellowish, mixed with reddish-brown; 
flesh juicy, sliglitly buttery, melting, sugary, vinous, 
aromatic, perfumed. — Late Summer. Tree a rapid, vigor- 
ous, but straggling grower, requiring severe pruning 
while young to form a good head ; bears early and abun- 
dantly. A pear of fine quality, but not attractive for 
market. 

Souvenir du Congres. — Origin France. Large to very 
large, in form resembling the Bartlett ; usually growing 
in clusters ; bright yellow when fully matured, with the 
parts exposed to the sun brilliant red or carmine ; flesh 
like that of the Bartlett but much less musky. — It com- 
mences to ripen in August a little before the Bart- 
lett, and extends into September. Growth moderate. It 
is recommended to double work it on strong growing 
varieties to obtain the best results. — This noble fruit, the 
largest fine pear in cultivation, is worthy of extra care 
and attention from the amateur as well as the orchardist. 

Tyson, — Origin Pennsylvania. Medium; clear yellow, 
with a bright, red cheek ; flesh juicy, very sweet, melt- 
ing, slightly aromatic. — Late Summer. Tree a vigorous, 
upright grower, not an early bearer, but very productive; 
a variety of great excellence both in tree and fruit. 

CLASS II. — autum:n" pears. 

Ananas d'Et^. — Origin Holland. Above medium, pyri- 
form, sometimes obtuse ; yellow, with brown russet in 
the sun ; flesh fine-grained, buttery, melting, sweet, per- 
fumed. — Early Autumn. Tree vigorous, an early and 
profuse bearer. 



366 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. 

Baronne de Mello. — Origin Belgium. Medium, yary- 
ing in form, often roundish or acute-pyriform; yellowish, 
nearly coyered with brown russet ; flesh whitish, a little 
coarse, juicy, melting, yinous sub-acid. — Mid- Autumn. 
Tree productive, hardy, and a vigorous grower. 

Belle Lucrative (Fokdante d'Automne). — Medium, 
form variable, generally roundish, obtuse-pyriform ; flesh 
melting, juicy, rich, sugary, delicious. — Early Autumn. 
Tree moderately vigorous, healthy, hardy, and productive. 

Beurr^ d'Anjou (Ne Plus Meuris of the Frejs^ch). — 
Origin Belgium. Large, short or blunt-pyriform ; skin 
greenish-yellow, with traces of russet, dull crimson dots 
and sometimes a shade of crimson in the sun; flesh whit- 
ish, melting, juicy, brisk, yinous, perfumed, pleasant. — 
Late Autumn to early Winter. Tree a vigorous, healthy 
grower, making an open, round-head, that bears its fruit 
evenly distributed and of uniform size. One of the most 
profitable varieties for orchard or garden ; generally re- 
garded as one of the most valuable pears grown, succeed- 
ing everywhere. 

Beurr^ Bosc. — Origin Belgium. Large, pyriform, or 
long-pyriform ; dark yellow, often much covered with 
dull cinnamon russet, in dots or streaks, occasionally a 
tinge of red; flesh white, very buttery, melting, rich, and 
deliciously perfumed. — Mid- Autumn. Tree a healthy, 
good grower, but often irregular ; not an early but an 
abundant bearer, producing its fruit singly, and evenly 
distributed on the tree. A valuable orchard variety, of 
splendid appearance and finest quality. 

Beurr^ de Brignais (Des Nonkes, etc.). — Medium, 
roundish, flattened ; greenish, with many dots ; flesh 
melting, juicy, with a brisk, high perfumed flavor. — 
Early Autumn. Tree a hardy, vigorous grower, pro- 
ductive. 

Beurr^ Clairgeau. — Origin France. Large, pyriform; 



PEARS. 367 

yellow, shaded with orange and crimson, mucli dotted 
and sprinkled with russet; flesh yellowish, juicy, buttery, 
a little granular, sweet, vinous, perfumed. — Late Autumn 
to early Winter, Tree very vigorous, with erect habit 
and fine foliage, an early and abundant bearer, and, al- 
though a little variable in quality, its size, beauty, and 
productiveness make it a very profitable market variety. 
In some cases it seems disposed to shed its leaves prema- 
turely — a serious defect. 

Beurr^ Dielt — Origin Belgium. Large, obtuse-pyri- 
form; skin rather rough, rich yellow when fully and well 
ripened, some russet; flesh yellowish-white, a little coarse- 
grained, buttery, sugary, half -melting, delicious. — Late 
Autumn. Tree very vigorous, and an abundant bearer; 
on 3'Oung trees the fruit is sometimes not firstrrate, but 
with age it assumes its true character, and is one of the 
most profitable market sorts. In Western New York and 
some other localities, it has suffered in some seasons from 
the black rust on the fruit, and blighting or '^ scalding " 
of the foliage, 

Beurr^ Hardy. — Large, obtuse-pyriform ; greenish, 
covered with light russet, and shaded one side with 
brownish -red; flesh melting, buttery, juicy, brisk, vinous, 
slightly astringent, perfumed. — Early Autumn. Tree a 
strong grower, with erect habit and ample foliage, very 
productive. A beautiful and delicious fruit, worthy of 
more general cultivation. 

Beurr^ Superfin. — Origin France. Medium, roundish- 
pyriform; yellow, with bright red in the sun, and some 
russet; flesh buttery, very juicy, melting, vinous, sub- 
acid. — Mid- Autumn. Tree hardy, a moderately vigorous 
grower, not an early but a good bearer when at maturity. 
In quality it is among the best. 

Bonne du Puits Ansaiilt. — Origin France. Medium, 
roundish-obovate ; greenish-yellow, mostly covered with 



368 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. 

light msset ; flesh white, fine, juicy, melting, yinous, rich, 
delicious. — Early Autumn. The tree being a poor grower 
it must be top-grafted upon a vigorous sort. Grown in 
this way, it bears early and abundantly. A most impor- 
tant acquisition for the amateur. 

Buffum. — Origin Ehode Island. Medium, obovate-ob- 
long ; deep yellow, when fully ripe, with red covering 
nearly one side, sometimes a little russet ; flesh white, 
sweet, moderately juicy, buttery, pleasant. — Early Au- 
tumn. Tree a strong, upright grower, forming a beauti- 
ful, compact head, a regular and productive bearer, hardy, 
and valuable for the orchard. , Tree remarkable for its 
symmetrical and vigorous growth. 

Doctor Recder. — Origin I^ew York. Small to medium, 
roundish, slightly pyriform ; yellow, mostly covered with 
nettings of russet and russet dots ; flesh fine, melting, 
juicy, buttery, sugary, vinous, slightly musky. — Late 
Autumn. Tree a healthy, hardy, vigorous, open, spread- 
ing grower, productive. A delicious fruit, valuable for 
the amateur ; not large nor showy enough for market. 

Doyenn^ Boussock (Beurre Boussock, etc.). — Origin 
Belgium. Large, varying in form, usually roundish, or 
obtuse-pyriform ; deep yellow, clouded with russet, 
bronzed red cheek in the sun. — Early Autumn. Tree 
very vigorous, upright, spreading ; an early, abundant 
bearer ; profitable for market. 

Doyenn^ du Cornice. — Origin France. Large, broad, 
obtuse-pyriform ; greenish- yellow, clear yellow at ma- 
turity, some russet ; flesh white, melting, juicy, sweet, 
rich, slightly aromatic. — Late Autumn. Tree moderately 
vigorous, upright ; requires time to be productive. 

Doyenne Gray. — Medium, obovate ; dull yellow, mostly 
covered with smooth cinnamon russet ; flesh very buttery, 
fine-grained, rich, delicious. — Mid-Autumn. Tree a mod- 
erate, healthy grower, a good bearer ; very valuable for 



PJ^ARS. 369 

orchard or garden ; by many esteemed superior to White 
Doyenne. In some localities, as in Western New York, 
both these varieties are often rendered worthless by black 
rust and cracking. 

Doyenne White (Butter Pear, Virgalieu, and thirty 
other synonyms. ) — Medium to large, obovate ; when fully 
ripe, pale yellow, often with a fine, red cheek ; flesh white, 
fine-grained, melting, very buttery, rich, delicious. — Early 
to late Autumn. Tree a healthy, vigorous grower, hardy, 
productive ; unreliable at the East and in Western New 
York, but in the new, rich soils of the West, one of the 
best. Twenty years ago this was regarded as the best of 
all pears ; now it is an outcast in many localities. 

Duchesse d'AngOuleme. — Origin France. Large to 
very large, oblong-obovate ; dull greenish-yellow, with 
more or less of russet spots and streaks ; flesh white, but- 
tery, juicy, excellent. — Mid-Autumn. Tree a very vig- 
orous grower, the most successful on the quince, produc- 
tive and very profitable. Is now regarded as one of the 
most valuable varieties cultivated ; it is next to Bartlett 
in popularity among the market-growers all over the 
country. 

Duchesse Precoce. — Origin France. Large, pyra- 
midal ; greenish -yellow, becoming clear yellow ; flesh 
melting, very juicy, sprightly though not rich. — Early 
Autumn. Tree vigorous and prolific. A good eai*ly 
market pear. 

Emile d'Heyst. — Origin Belgium. Large, oblong- pyri- 
form ; clear yellow, with a brownish cheek in the sun, 
netted and patched with russet ; flesh yellowish-white, 
juicy, fine-grained, melting, sweet, aromatic, excellent, — 
Early Winter. Tree a vigorous, spreading grower, hold- 
ing its foliage late in autumn, very productive ; taking 
rank as a valuable early winter sort. 

Flemish Beauty (Belle de Flandres, and twenty 



370 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. 

more synonyms). — Large, roundisli-pyriform ; yellow, 
mostly covered with marblings and patches of light rus- 
set, brownish-red in the sun ; flesh yellowish-white, juicy, 
melting, sweet, rich, slightly musky. — Early Autumn. 
Tree hardy, vigorous, an early and abundant bearer, and 
highly valued West for orchard or garden ; sometimes 
seriously attacked with black fungus or rust, and crack- 
ing in New York and the Eastern States. 

Frederick Clapp. — Origin Massachusetts. Above me- 
dium, obovate ; lemon-yellow ; flesh fine-grained, very 
juicy, melting, flavor sprightly, acidulous, rich and aro- 
matic. — Late Autumn. Tree of vigorous habit, somewhat 
spiny. A very promising new variety. Pronounced by 
the committee of the Mass. Horticultural Society superior 
to Buerre Superfin. 

FultOHi — Origin Maine. Below medium, roundish, 
flattened ; gray-russet, becoming at maturity dark cinna- 
mon-russet ; flesh moderately juicy, half -buttery, spright- 
ly, agreeable. — Mid to late Autumn. Tree. a moderate 
but healthy grower, hardy and productive. Valuable for 
the orchard. 

Hoosic. — Origin Massachusetts. Large, obovate, hav- 
ing coDsiderable exterior resemblanco to Beurre Diel ; 
greenish -yellow, dotted and marbled with russet ; flesh 
fine-grained, melting, juicy, with a rich almond flavor. — 
Mid-Autumn. Tree erect, vigorous, very hardy and re- 
markably prolific. A new variety which merits the at- 
tention of amateurs, at least. 

Howell. — Origin Connecticut. Eather large, round- 
ish-pyriform ; light yellow, with a clear, red cheek ; 
flesh whitish, juicy, melting, vinous. — Early and Mid- 
Autumn. Tree an upright, vigorous grower, an early 
and abundant bearer. One of the most beautiful and ex- 
cellent of pears, and promising to be of great value over 



PEARS. 371 

a large extent of country ; beginning to be much planted 
for market. The fruit bears carriage well. 

Jones (Jones's Seedling). — Origin Pennsylvania. 
Medium or below, roundish-pyriform ; yellow, shaded 
with russet, bright cinnamon-russet in the sun ; flesh 
rather coarse, granular, buttery, sugary, vinous. — Late 
Autumn to early Winter. Tree a vigorous, upright 
grower, and very productive. A fine little pear for the 
amateur's collection and valuable for the orchardist. 

Kieffer (Kieffer's. Htbrid).— Origin Pennsylvania. 

Eaised from seed of the Chinese Sand Pear accident- 
ally crossed with Bartlett or some other kind. Medium 
to large, oval-pyriform ; rich golden-yellow, sprinkled 
thickly with small dots, often tinged with red on the 
sunny side ; flesh slightly coarse, juicy, melting, with a 
pronounced quince flavor ; as grown by us will scarcely 
rank as *'good"; said to be particularly valuable for 
canmng. Ripe in October, but will keep for some time. 
Tree very vigorous, with handsome, shining foliage, and 
a good bearer. The value of this pear for market has 
not yet been determined. The quality of the fruit does 
not rank high enough to make it a popular variety with 
the amateur. 

Kirtland. — Origin Ohio. Medium, roundish-obovate ; 
rich yellow, much covered with cinnamon-russet, and 
red on the sunny side ; flesh juicy, melting, sweet, aro- 
matic. — Early Autumn. Tree moderately vigorous, 
stocky, healthy, and productive. 

Lc Conte (Chinese Pear). — Supposed to be a hybrid 
between the old Chinese Sand Pear and a cultivated va- 
riety. Large, pyriform; skin yellow; of medium quality. 
— Mid-Summer. Tree remarkably vigorous and prolific. 
Highly valued and extensively cultivated at the South, 
as it succeeds where the European and American sorts 



372 SELECT VARIETIES OE FRUITS. 

entirely fail. In Georgia it is propagated from cuttings. 
^ot regarded as of any value at the North. 

Louise Bonne de Jersey. — Origin France. Large, 
long-pyriform ; greenish-yellow, mostly overspread with 
brownish-red, and a red cheek in the sun ; flesh melting, 
very juicy, rich, vinous, excellent. — Early Autumn. 
Tree a rapid, upright grower, and abundant bearer ; one 
of the very best on quince. A profitable market pear 
where it succeeds. 

Merriam. — Origin Massachusetts. Medium, round- 
ish ; dull yellow, with more or less of russet ; flesh yel- 
lowish, rather coarse, melting, juicy, slightly vinous, 
musky. — Mid- Autumn. Tree vigorous, very produc- 
tive. An exceedingly profitable orchard sort, but little 
grown out of Massachusetts. 

Mar^chal de la Cour (Ookseiller de la Cour, etc.). 
— Origin Belgium. Medium to large, pyriform; green-. 
ish-yellow, with more or less russet ; flesh yellowish- 
white, melting, buttery, juicy, rich, vinous. — Mid- 
Autumn. Tree moderately vigorous, holds its foliage 
late in the season, a good bearer. 

Onondaga (Swan's Oran^ge). — This pear was first 
introduced by the late Oeneral Swan, of Eochester, 
K Y., under the name of " Swan's Orange," from 
Clinton, N. Y., but it was supposed to be traced to Con- 
necticut. Fruit large, obtuse-pyriform, surface rather 
uneven; skin orange-yellow at maturity, with traces of 
russet in some localities, rarely a red cheek ; flesh melt- 
ing, rather coarse, juicy, vinous, sometimes slightly as- 
tringent, a little variable but -generally excellent. Tree 
a strong grower, hardy, and very productive. 

Paradise d'Automne. — Origin Belgium. Large, long- 
pyriform ; yellow, mostly covered with cinnamon-russet ; 
flesh often slightly granular, melting, juicy, with a rich, 
vinous, aromatic flavor. — Early to Mid- Autumn. Tree a 



PEARS. 373 

vigorous, rather irregular grower, an earl}^, good bearer ; 
fine for the garden, not suited to the orchard. 

Pitmaston Ducbess. — Origin England. Very large, 
oblong-obovate ; beautiful golden yellow ; flesh yellow- 
ish-white, melting, buttery, juicy and of excellent qual- 
ity. — Mid- Autumn. Tree vigorous, productive. Will 
make a fine market fruit. 

Pratt. — Origin Khode Island. Medium, roundish-py- 
riform ; greenish lemon-yellow, shaded with red in the 
sun ; flesh juicy, sugary, melting, briskly vinous. — 
Early Autumn. Tree an upright grower, very pro- 
ductive. 

Seckel. — Origin Pennsylvania. Small, roundish-ovate; 
dull yellowish-brown, with a russet-red cheek; flesh but- 
tery, very juicy, rich, spicy, aromatic. — Early Autumn. 
Tree a slow but healthy, hardy grower, upright, forming 
a small, compact head; successful and well known every- 
where. Although it takes a little more time to bring 
this variety into profitable bearing condition, yet it is a 
reliable and permanently valuable sort for orchard or 
garden. 

Sheldon. — Origin New York. Medium, roundish ; 
greenish-yellow, a thin, light russet and a bright red or 
crimson in the sun; flesh very juicy, melting, vinous, 
sweet, aromatic. Tree hardy, a vigorous, upright grower, 
forming a handsome, round head, a good bearer. This 
noble fruit, like some other varieties, is often condemned 
as rotting at the core, but it only requires to be gathered 
early and used when ripe, like Flemish Beauty, Clapp's 
Favorite, Beurre Oiffard, and others. 

Stevens'- Genesee. — Origin New York. Large, round- 
ish; yellow; flesh half -buttery, rich, aromatic flavor. — 
Early Autumn. Tree a healthy, good grower, and pro- 
ductive. It is not so popular as formerly in Western 
New York, but AVest, and especially in light soils, it is 



374 SELECT VARIETIES OF FEUITS. 

one of the profitable sorts; needs to be gathered early and 
used as soon as ripe. 

Urbaniste (Beuer^: Picquery, etc.). — Medium to 
large, roiindish-pyiiform; pale yellow, with some russet; 
flesh yery melting, buttery, juicy, rich, and delicately 
perfumed. — Early and Mid- Autumn. Tree a moderate, 
yigorous, compact, pyramidal grower^ very hardy, not an 
early bearer, but an abundant one at maturity. Very 
valuable and profitable for the orchard. 

Washini^toil. — Origin Delaware. Medium, oval; clear, 
lemon-yellow, with some red in the sun and reddish dots; 
flesh very juicy, sweet, melting, agreeable. — Early Au- 
tumn. Tree a slender but healthy and vigorous grower, 
and a good bearer. This is one of our native pears that 
has been too much overlooked; a very beautiful and ex- 
cellent variety for the amateur's collection. 

CLASS III. — winter pears. 

Belle Epine Dumas (Due de Bordeaux). — Medium, 

obtuse-pyriform; greenish-yellow, with russet dots; flesh 
white, half-melting, buttery, juicy, sweet. — Early Winter. 
Tree a vigorous, fine grower, and a good bearer. 

Beurr^ Easter (Doyenne d'Hivee, and a dozen or 
more other synonyms). — Large, roundish-oval; yellowish, 
more or less of russet in dots, which sometimes gives it a 
brownish cheek; flesh fine-grained, very buttery, melting 
and juicy, sweet, and rich. — Very late Winter; we have 
often kept it until April. The tree is a moderate grower, 
makir.g a compact, upright, round head, bearing abun- 
dantly. It is one of the best sorts for the South and 
South-west, but requires a warm ex]30sure when grown 
North and East. Everywhere it requires good, rich soil, 
good culture, and careful thinning of the fruit to bring 
it to perfection. 



PEARS. 375 

Beiirr^ Gris d'Hiver Nouveau.— Medium to large, 
roundish, obtuse; rich, yellow-russet, with a tine, sunny 
cheek of dark red; flesh slightly granular, buttery, melt- 
ing, rich, sugary. — Early to Mid- Winter. Tree a moder- 
ately vigorous grower, somewhat irregular, good bearer. 

Beurr^ d'Aremberg (Due d'Aremberg, etc.). — Origin 
France. Medium to large, obovate, uneven surface; 
greenish-yellow, yellow at maturity with some russet; 
flesh white, buttery, juicy, rich, vinous. — Early to Mid- 
Winter. Tree a slow grower and unhealthy; a delicious 
winter pear, but seldom planted, on account of its serious 
defects. 

Columbia. — Origin New York. Large, obovate; pale 
green in autumn, becoming golden -yellow at maturity, 
with deep orange cheek in sun exposure; flesh juicy, 
sweet, aromatic. — Early Winter. Tree an upright, hand- 
some grower, and a good bearer. Fruit liable to be blown 
off, and needs watching. 

Dana's Hovey. — Origin Massachusetts. Small, obovate- 
pyriform; pale yellow, netted and patched with russet; 
flesh yellowish, melting, juicy, rich, sugary, aromatic. — 
Early Winter. Tree a healthy, vigorous grower, hardy, 
and productive. A high-flavored, delicious pear for the 
garden ; too small for profitable market growing, though, 
like the Seckel, it commands high prices where known. 

Doyenne d'Alent^on (Dotei^n-e d'Hiyer, D'Alen^cox, 

etc.). — Medium, roundish, slightly pyrif orm ; yellow, 
shaded in the sun with dark crimson, considerable russet; 
flesh granular, buttery, juicy, sugary, sprightly, per- 
fumed. — Middle to late Winter, often keeping until 
spring. Tree moderately vigorous and productive ; a 
valuable pear, like the Easter Beurre, though not in 
same degree; needs high culture and thinning of the 
fruit to bring it to perfection ; tree more hardy than 
Easter Beurre. 



376 SELECT VARIETIES 0^ FRUITS. 

Duhamel du Monceau. — Origin France. Large, loiig- 
pyriform, whitish -yellow, rather rough, nearly covered 
with brownish-russet ; flesh whitish, melting, tender, 
juicy, with the flavor of Winter Nelis. — Early Winter. 
Tree moderately vigorous and productive, 

Glout Morceau. — Flemish origin. Eather large, often 
very large, varying in form, usually short-pyriform; 
greenish-yellow, with patches and dots of greenish-brown; 
flesh white, fine-grained, buttery, melting, rich, sugary. 
— Early Winter. Tree is of a roundish, spreading habit, 
very healtliy and hardy, not an early bearer, but when 
mature produces an abundant crop, regular and uniform. 
It is distinct in wood and foliage from other varieties, and 
forms one of the handsomest of pyramids on quince roots. 
In localities where the pear blight ]3re vails, it seems pecu- 
liarly liable to attack, and recently has not been much 
planted. 

Josephine de Malines. — Medium, roundish, flattened; 
pale yellow or straw-color at maturity, sometimes netted 
and patched with russet; flesh white, tinted with rose, 
juicy, melting, sweet, slight aroma. — Mid-Winter, often 
keeps until Spring. Tree a moderate grower, hardy, 
foliage small, quite productive. A very valuable late 
pear, and rapidly gaining in popularity. 

Lawrence. — Origin Long Island. Medium or above, 
obovate, obtuse-pyriform; clear, light yellow, with more 
or less of russet; flesh juicy, melting, sweet, aromatic. — 
Early Winter. Tree a moderate grower, healthy, and a 
good bearer; valuable both for garden and orchard. It 
usually commands the highest price in market; one of 
the most valuable early winter sorts. 

Mount Vernon. — Origin Massachusetts. Medium or 
above, generally roundish obtuse-pyriform ; light russet 
on yellow ground; flesh yellowish, juicy, melting, slightly 
aromatic, fine flavored. — Early Winter. Tree vigorous 



PEARS. 377 

and an early bearer. Like many other sorts, is liable to 
overbear, and will then be poor ; needs severe thinning. 

Pound (Uvedale's St. Geemain, and over thirty other 
synonyms). — Large, pyi'iform ; yellowish -green ; flesh 
firm, excellent for baking or stewing. — Early to late 
Winter. Tree a moderate, healthy grower, very pro- 
ductive. Valued everywhere for cooking or preserving. 

Vicar of Winkfield (Le Cure, and two dozen more 
synonyms). — Origin France. Large, long-pyriform; pale 
yellow at maturity, often, when well grown, with a 
browish-red cheek ; flesh moderately juicy, half-buttery, 
sprightly and good. — Early to mid or late Winter. Tree 
a healthy, vigorous grower, and very productive. This 
is one of the most profitable as an orchard sort among 
the whole list of pears, but needs to be well grown to 
be good ; trees are apt to be crverladen and should be 
thinned. 

Winter JVelis (Bois^ne de Malines, etc.). — Medium or 
below, roundish-obovate ; yellowish-green, patched and 
marbled with considerable russet ; flesh fine-grained, but- 
tery, very juicy, sugary, aromatic. — Early Winter. Tree 
thrifty, hardy, rather slender, and somewhat irregular 
grower, an early and regularly abundant bearer ; valuable 
for the garden and orchard. The crop usually needs 
thinniug, especially on trees of considerable age ; fruit is 
always inferior when the tree is overloaded, but this 
applies to nearly all varieties, though not in the same 
degree. 

CLASS IV. 

Varieties of pears scarcely entitled to a place on the 
select list, and too good to be omitted. Some are very 
popular and valuable in certain localities ; others are new, 
or comparatively new, and promising. This list might 
have been gi-eatly extended. 



S73 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. 

Abbott* — Medium, pyriform ; yellowish, shaded with 
red ; white, granular, juicy, buttery, melting. — Septem- 
ber. Eh ode Island. 

Adams. — Large, obovate-pyriform ; greenish-yellow, 
russet and red cheek; very juicy, melting, vinous. — Sep- 
tember. Massachusetts. 

Andrews. — Eather large, pyriform; yellowish-green, 
with a dull red cheek; juicy, melting, fine, vinous flavor. 
— September. Massachusetts. 

Beurr^ d'Amanlis. — Large, roundish ; dull yellowish- 
green, reddish-brown cheek ; flesh yellowish, coarse, but- 
tery, melting ; unreliable in quality ; good old market 
sort. — September. 

Beurr^ d'Angleterre. — Medium, pyriform; dull green, 
netted with russet; buttery, melting, juicy, pleasant. — 
September. France. 

Beurre d'Albret. — Medium, long-pyriform ; yellow, 
with cinnamon-russet ; very juicy, buttery, melting, 
yinous. — October. An excellent fruit. 

Beurr^ Brown. — Large, obovate-oblong ; yellowish- 
green, with reddish-brown and russet ; flesh white, melt- 
ing, buttery, extremely juicy, sub-acid. — September. 
Trance. A fine old sort, often excellent, but too variable. 

Beurre Dtirand. — Medium, oblong-pyriform ; yellow, 
with splashes of red in the sun ; fine, melting, sugary, 
vinous. — September. France. 

Beurr^ Golden of Bllboa, — Medium, obovate-pyri- 
form ; yellow, slight russet ; yery buttery, melting, fine- 
grained, vinous. — September. Spain. 

Benrr^ Mauxion. — Medium, roundish-pyriform ; yel- 
low-russet, with a red cheek; fine, buttery, melting, juicy, 
sugary, vinous, perfumed. — September. Belgium. 

Beurr^ de PAssomption. — Large, short-pyriform; lem- 



PEARS. 379 

on-yellow, some russet ; fine, melting, juicy, Yinons, per- 
fumed. — August. France. Tree a vigorous grower. 

Beurr^ Moire. — Large, oblong-pyriform ; greenisli- 
yelloAv, a tinge of red in sun ; granular, buttery, melting, 
fine, rich, perfumed. — October. France. 

Ber^amote Esperen. — Medium, roundish, flattened, 
or flat; skin thick, rough; greenish-yellow, russet patches; 
flesh greenish-yellow, sweet. Juicy, rich. Tree healthy, 
vigorous, and productive. — Late AYinter. France. 

Besi Esperen. — Large, roundish-pyriform ; dull yel- 
low, some russet; juicy, sprightly, vinous. — October. 
France. 

Besi de Montigny (Oomtesse de Lukay, etc.). — Me- 
dium, roundish-obovate ; yellowish-green ; flesh melting, 
half -buttery, juicy, sweet, musky. — Mid- Autumn. Tree 
vigorous, healthy, productive. 

Black Worcester, — Large, pyriform ; green, nearly 
covered with russet, coarse; valued for cooking. — Winter. 

Caen de France. — Medium, short-pyriform ; yellow, 
with dull russet ; fine-grained, juicy, melting, vinous, 
aromatic. — December, February. France. A variety of 
great excellence. 

Catillac. — Large, or very large, broad -turbinate ; yel- 
lowish, with a brown cheek ; flesh firm.^Early to late 
Winter. France. Tree a strong grower and good bearer; 
valued for cooking or baking. 

Church. — Below medium, flattened ; greenish-yellow ; 
very buttery, melting, rich, sweet, perfumed. — Sep- 
tember. 

Coit's Beurr^. — Medium, obtuse-pyriform ; yellow, 
slightly russet, often a red cheek ; flesh white, melting, 
juicy, rich, vinous. — Early Autumn. Ohio. 

fomte de Flandre. — Large, long-pyriform ; yellowish- 



380 SELECT YAEIETIES OE EBUITS. 

russet ; very buttery, melting, juicy, ricli, sweet. — Oc- 
tober. Belgium. 

De Tenures (Dueakdeau). — Large, long-pyriform ; 
pale yellow, with cinnamon-russet, which becomes red 
on the sunny side ; flesh melting, juicy, yinous, sugary, 
rich. — Mid- Autumn. France. 

Dix. — Large, long-pyriform ; deep yellow, with more 
or less of russet ; flesh juicy, sugary, melting, slightly 
perfumed. — Mid to late Autumn. Massachusetts. 

Doctor Lindleyi — Medium, obovate-pyriform; yellow, 
with slight russet; melting, sweet, perfumed.— Novem- 
ber, December. France. 

Duchesse d'Orleans (St. Nicholas, etc.). — Above me- 
dium, long-pyriform; yellowish-green, with sometimes 
a red cheek; flesh melting, juicy, slightly aromatic. — 
Early Autumn. France. 

Due de Brabant (B. de Wateeloo, Fokdakte des 
Ohaeneuse). — Large, pyriform; greenish, with crimson- 
red in the sun; flesh very juicy, buttery, melting, vinous. 
— Mid to late Autumn. Belgium. Tree vigorous, hardy, 
and productive. 

Edmonds. — Large, roundish-pyriform, with a very 
long stalk; yellow, or straw-color, with occasionally 
bronzed-red in the sun; flesh fine-grained, buttery, 
melting, sweet, with a peculiar and very agreeable aroma; 
quality variable, especially on young trees. — Early Au- 
tumn. New York. Tree a remarkably strong, upright 
grower, and an abundant bearer. 

Eugene Appert, — Medium, roundish-oblate; greenish- 
yellow; flesh melting, sweet, with flavor of Gansel's Ber- 
gamot. — Mid- Autumn. France. Tree moderate grower 
as a standard, does not succed so well on the quince. 

Fondante de Bihorel. — Described as follows: *^of me- 
dium size or below; melting and good; one of the best 
early pears." France. 



PEARS. 381 

Gansel's Bergamot. — Large, roundish-obovate; skin 
grayish-brown; flesh white, melting, juicy, rich, aromatic. 
— Mid-Autumn. England. Tree a moderate grower. 

Gansel's Seckel. — Medium, oblate; skin yellow, most- 
ly covered with thin russet; flesh buttery, juicy, vinous, 
with a rich aromatic flavor. — Late Autumn. England. 
Tree a poor grower but very productive. 

General Totleben. — Medium to large, obtuse-pyri- 
form; greenish-yellow, patched with russet; flesh whitish- 
yellow, a little coarse, melting, juicy, slightly aromatic. 
— October. Belgium. 

General Taylor (Homewood). — Medium, obtuse-pyri- 
form; yellow, crimson in the sun, nettings and patches 
of russet; flesh a little coarse, juicy, melting, sweet. — Oc- 
tober. Maryland. 

Gratioli of Jersey. — Medium, roundish-pyriform; 
greenish-yellow, netted and patched with russet; juicy, 
rich, melting, vinous. — September. Isle of Jersey. 

Gregoire Bordillon. — Described as being a fine large 
variety ripening in August. France. 

Henry the Fourth.— Below medium, roundish-pyri- 
form; greenish-yellow, with gray specks; not fine-grained, 
juicy, melting, perfumed. — September. France. An 
old variety. 

Henri Desportes. — Large, pyriform; yellowish-green; 
juicy, melting, sweet. — August. Tree a moderate grow- 
er. France. 

Jalousie de Fontenay Vendue, —Medium, long-pyri- 
form; dull yellow and green, a red cheek and some 
russet; flesh white, melting, buttery, rich. — Mid- Autumn. 
France. Tree a vigorous grower and early and abundant 
bearer. 

Jules Bivort. — Medium to large, pyriform; yellowish. 



332 SELECT VARTETIES OF FRUITS. 

with more or less russet; very juicy, buttery, sweet, melt- 
ing, vinous. — October. 

Kingsessin^. — Large, obtuse-pyriform; greenish-yel- 
low; rather coarse, juicy, buttery, melting, sweet. — Sep- 
tember. Pennsylvania. 

Madam Eliza • — Large, acute-pyriform; light yellow, 
traces of russet; fine, juicy, melting, sweet, perfumed. — 
October. Tree a good grower. Belgium. 

Maurice Desportes. — Medium to large, acute-pyriform; 
dull yellow, with russet; fine-grained, melting, sweet. 
— October. Tree a vigorous grower and productive. 
France. 

Marie Benoist. — Described as being large and of fine 
quality, and a valuable addition to the list of late pears. 
— Season December and January. France. 

Marie Louise. — Large, long-pyriform; yellow, mottled 
with russet; very buttery, melting, vinous, sweet. — Octo- 
ber. Belgium. A fine, old sort, but variable in some 
localities. 

Marie Louise d'Uccles. — Large, roundish-pyriform; 
yellow, shaded with brown in the sun, netted and patched 
with russet; juicy, melting, vinous, a little astringent. — 
September. Belgium. 

IVantais (BeueredeNaj^tes). — Large, long-pyriform; 
greenish-yellow, with a red cheek; melting, juicy, sweet, 
pleasantly perfumed. — October. France. 

Nouveau Poiteau. — Large, pyriform; greenish, with 
patches and dots of russet; flesh whitish, buttery, melt- 
ing, juicy, sugary, vinous. — Late Autumn. Belgium. 

Oswego Beurr^. — Medium, roundish, flattened ; yel- 
lowish-green, with thin russet until fully ripe, then fine, 
yellow russet ; flesh melting, buttery, juicy, vinous, 
aromatic. — Mid to late Autumn. New York. Tree erect. 



PEARS. 383 

moderately vigorous, and a great bearer even when young,* 
fruit sometimes cracks. 

Ott. — Small, roundish; light yellow; melting, sugary, 
aromatic. — August. Pennsylvania. 

Piatt. — Medium, roundish, flattened; pale yellow, con- 
siderable russet; buttery, juicy, half -melting, pleasant. — 
October. New Tork. 

Pius the 9th, — Above medium, roundish, long-pyri- 
form ; yellow, considerable russet ; juicy, a little firm, 
melting, brisk, vinous. — October. Belgium. Variable. 

President Mas. — Large to very large, pyrif or m; orange- 
yellow, sprinkled with russet; flesh fine grained, melting, 
sweet, slightly vinous, first quality. — Early Winter. 
France. 

Rapelje's Seedlings — Medium,' obovate to pyriform; 
yellowish, mostly covered with gray russet ; juicy, some- 
what granular, melting, sweet, vinous. — September. Long 
Island. An excellent fruit. 

Ratter. — Medium to large, roundish ; greenish=yellow, 
considerable russet ; moderately juicy, a little gritty, al- 
most melting, sweet. — October. Pennsylvania. 

St. Ghislain. — Medium, pyriform ; clear, pale yellow; 
buttery, juicy, sprightly, rich. — October. Belgium. A 
fine, old sort, but rather superseded by others larger and 
more attractive of the same season. 

St. Michael Archani^el. — Large, obovate-pyriform ; 
pale yellow, netted and patched with russet; flesh but- 
tery, juicy, melting, slightly aromatic. — Mid-Autumn. 
France. 

Souvenir d'Esperen. — Medium to large, long-p3'riform; 
greenish-yellow, mostly covered with russet; flesh yellow- 
ish, juicy, vinous, aromatic. — Mid to late Autumn. 
France. Tree vigorous, healthy, and hardy, holds its 
foliage late in the season, productive. 



384 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. 

SELECT ASSORTMENTS OF PEARS. 

To aid the inexperienced amateur in making up small 
assortments : 

Twelve Varieties oi^ Pear Stocks. — Bartlett, 
Olapp's Favorite, Doyenne d'Ete, Beurre Bosc, Lawrence, 
Beurre d'Anjou, Seckel, Winter JSTelis, Dana's Hovey, 
Sheldon, Paradise d'Automne, Doyenne Boussock. 

Twelve Varieties on" Quikce Stocks. — Beurre 
d'Anjou, Duchesse d'Angouleme, Louise Bonne de Jersey, 
Howell, Urbaniste, White Doyenne (where it succeeds). 
Vicar of Winkfield, Beurre Superfin, Brandy wine, Tyson, 
Beurre Giffard, Josephine de Malines. 

TwEj^TY-FivE Varieties for the GtArden" oiq- 
QuiKCE. — Bartlett, Petite Marguerite, Tyson, Beurre 
d'Anjou, Beurre Diel, Bslle Lucrative, Beurre Giffard, 
Duchesse d'Angouleme, Doyenne White (where it suc- 
ceeds), Doyenne Gray, Louise Bonne de Jersey, Seckel, 
Onondaga, Urbaiiiste, Beurre Easter, Beurre Gris d'Hiver, 
Glout Morceau, Vicar of Winkfield, Josephine de Ma- 
lines, Olapp's Favorite, Beurre Superfin, Beurre Hardy, 
Howell, Brandywine, Doyenne d'Alen§on. 

For Profit oiq- Quii^ce Stock. — Duchesse d'Angou- 
leme, Louise Bonne de Jersey, Beurre d'Anjou, Howell, 
and White Doyenne where it succeeds. 

Section 3. — Quinces. 

Apple-Shaped or Orange, — Large, roundish, with a 
short neck; color bright golden-yellow. The tree has 
rather slender shoots and oval leaves ; very productive. 
This is the variety most extensively cultivated for the 
fruit. — Eipe in October. 

Anders, — The strongest grower of all the quinces, and 
the best for pear stocks. The fruit is much like the 



QUINCES. 385 

Orange in appearance; later, keeps longer. The tree does 
not bear as young, but when once it reaches maturity is 
a good, regular bearer. 

Champion. — A new variety which originated in Con- 
necticut, described as a large handsome fruit, of good 
quality, maturing later than the Orange. Tree a vigor- 
ous grower. 

Pear-Shaped. — This has generally more of a pyriform 
shape than the Orange quince ; the fruit is larger, the 
tree stronger. 

Portugal. — The fruit of this is more oblong than the 
preceding, of a lighter color and better quality ; the 
shoots are stouter, and the leaves thicker and broader; 
usually propagated by budding or grafting. A week or 
two later than the Apple. A shy. bearer. 

Rea's Seedling (Rea's Mammoth, Vai^ Slyke). — 
Native of Greene County, N. Y. A magnificent fruit, 
averaging much larger than the Apple-shaped or Orange, 
and superior to it for culinary purposes. 

QUINCES FOR ORNAMENT. 

Chinese. — Quite different in appearance from other 
quinces. The leaves are glossy, sharply and beautifully 
toothed ; the fruit is large, oblong, bright yellow, and 
keeps until spring; little used. The flowers are large 
and showy, with the fragrance of the violet ; worked on 
the other sorts, rather tender, requiring a sheltered sit- 
uation. Usually cultivated for ornament. A very tardy 
bearer. 

Japan. — This is very distinct from all the others; very 
bushy, thorny, and hardy. There are several varieties, 
all of which may be reckoned among the most beautiful 
of all our hardy spring-flowering shrubs. Cultivated 
usually as Pyrus Japonica and sometimes given in the 
17 



386 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRFITS. 

catalogues as Cydonia Japonica. Makes an excellent or- 
namental hedge. Fruit about as large as a chicken's 
Qgg ; unfit for use. 



SECOND DIVISION.— STONE FEUITS— APEICOTS, CHERr 
RIES, PEACHES, NECTARINES, AND PLUMS. 

SECTIOl^ 4. — SELECT APRICOTS. 

Alberge de Monts^amet (Mohtgamet). — Medium; pale 
yellow, with tinge of red in the sun; flesh yellowish, ad- 
hering to the stone; juicy, perfumed, excellent. The 
tree is a hardy, fine grower. — Last of July. 

Beauge. — Eesembles Moorpark, but ripens later. 

Blenheim (Shipley). — Medium, oval; orange-yellow; 
flesh juicy, moderately rich. — Ripens eight or ten days 
before Moorpark. 

Breda. — Small, round; dull orange, marked with red 
in the sun; flesh orange-colored, juicy, rich, and vinous; 
parts from the stone; kernel sweet; tree hardy, robust, 
and prolific. — End of July and beginning of August. 

Canino GrosSO. — Large; orange-color, becoming red in 
the sun; flesh reddish-yellow, high-flayored. — Middle of 
July. Tree vigorous, hardy. 

Early Golden (Dubois).— Small; pale orange; flesh 
orange, juicy, and sweet; kernel sweet; tree very hardy 
and productive. The original tree at Fishkill is said to 
have yielded $90 worth of fruit in one season. — Begin- 
ning of July. 

Early Moorpark. — Resembles Moorpark, but ripens 
earlier. Medium, roundish-oval; yellow, mottled with 
crimson in the sun. 



APRICOTS, 387 

Hemskerk.— A large English variety, much like Moor- 
park, but ripens a little earlier. It is known by its stone 
not being perforated, as is that of the Moorpark. 

Kaisha.^A variety from Syria; requires a warm, shel- 
tered location; medium, roundish; yelloAV, mottled and 
tinged with red in the sun; flesh tender, sugary, high- 
flavored; separating freely from the stone. — Last of July. 

Large Early. — Large; orange, with a red cheek; flesh 
sweet, rich, and excellent; parts from the stone. Tree 
vigorous and productive. — Beginning of August. 

Moorpark. — One of the largest and finest apricots ; 
yellow, with a red cheek; flesh orange, sweet, juicy, and 
rich; parts from the stone; growth rather slow, but stout 
and short-jointed. Very productive. 

JVew Large Early (Rivees).' — Resembles the old Large 
Early, but very rich. 

Orange. — Medium; orange, with a ruddy cheek; flesh 
rather dry, adheres slightly to the stone; requires ripen- 
ing in the house. — End of July. 

Peach. — Very large and handsome ; flesh delicate, 
juicy, and rich. 

Red Masculine (Early Masculine, etc.). — Small, 
nearly round; well-marked suture one side; bright yel- 
low, tinged with deep orange, and spotted with dark red; 
flesh juicy, musky, pleasant; the earliest to ripen. — Early 
in July. Tree hardy and a good bearer. 

Royal. — Large oval; pale orange; flesh firm, juicy, 
rich, vinous; ripens just before the Moorpark. A val- 
uable variety. 

Saint Ambroise. — Large; deep yellow, reddish next the 
sun; flesh juicy, rich and sweet, — Middle of August. 

Sardinian. — Small; white, with a red cheek; moder- 
ately juicy. — Very early in July. Tree productive. 

Turkey. — Medium to large, nearly round; deep yellow. 



388 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. 

mottled with orange in tlie sun; flesh pale yellow, firm, 
juicy, excellent. — Middle of August. 

Sectioi^ 5. — Select Cherries. 

class i. — heart cherries. 

Fruit heart-shaped, with tender, sweet flesh. Trees of 
rapid growth, with large, soft, drooping leaves. 

Belle d'Orleans. — Origin France. Medium, round- 
ish-heart-shape; pale yellow, partially covered with red; 
flesh very tender, juicy, sweet and delicious. — Early in 
June, or immediately after Early Purple Guigne. Tree 
a fine grower and an abundant hearer; one of the finest 
early varieties. 

Black Eagle. — Origin England. Rather above medium, 
obtuse-heart-shape; deep purphsh-black; flesh deep 
purple, tender, with a rich, high-flavored juice. — Early 
in July, or just after Black Tartarian. Tree a strong 
grower, a moderate bearer while young, productive when 
old. 

Black Tartarian. — Origin Russia. Very large, heart- 
shape, uneven on the surface; purplish black; flesh half- 
tender, very juicy, mild, delicious. . — Last of June. Tree 
very vigorous, upright, a great bearer; one of the most 
popular and productive varieties in all parts of the coun- 
try. Always commands the highest price in market. 

Coe's Transparent. — Origin Connecticut. Medium, 
round; skin glossy, pale amber, mottled and spotted with 
cornelian-red; flesh very tender, juicy, sweet and delicate. 
Middle to last of June. Tree a vigorous grower, form- 
ing a handsome, round head, very productive. This is 
one of the best of dessert cherries, but too tender for 
marketing. 

Delicate. — Origin Ohio. Rather above medium, round- 
ish; clear amber-yellow, with a rich, bright red in the sun 



CHERRIES. 389 

exposure; flesh very tender, juicy, sweet, with a rich, 
high flavor. — Last of June. Tree a thrifty, spreading 
grower, productive. Most valuable for family use. 

Downer's Late Red, — Origin Massachusetts. Medium, 
roundish; clear, lively red, mottled with amber; flesh 
tender, juicy, sprightly, a little bitter unless fully ri23e, 
when it is sweet and fine. — Early to middle of July. Tree 
very hardy, a fine, erect grower, very productive; the fruit 
is borne in clusters, and will hang for a considerable time 
on the tree. 

Early Purple Guigne. — Medium, roundish-heart- 
shape; dark red, purplish when mature; flesh purple, 
juicy, tender, rich and sweet. — Early in June. Tree a 
free but slender grower while young, hardy, and makes 
a fine, spreading, open head, bearing very abundantly. 
Indispensable as an early variety, and is found highly 
profitable as a market sort in some localities. 

Elton. — Origin England. Large, heart-shape, pointed ; 
glossy pale yellow, shaded, mottled and streaked with red 
in the sun ; flesh somewhat firm, nearly tender when fully 
ripe, juicy, sweet, rich, high flavor. — Middle to last of 
June. Tree vigorous, spreading, irregular in growth, a 
good bearer. One of the best of the large light-colored 
varieties. 

Governor Wood. — Origin Ohio. Large, roundish- 
heart-shape ; light, rich yellow, shaded and marbled with 
red ; flesh almost tender, jnicy, sweet, with a rich, deli- 
cious flavor. — Middle to last of June. Tree a fine grower, 
forming a round, half -spreading head, very productive ; 
liable to overbear, which might be remedied by judicious 
pruning. 

Knight's Early Black. — Origin England. Large, heart- 
shape ; deep purple, almost black ; flesh purple, tender, 
juicy, sweet and rich, high flavor. — Middle to last of June. 
Tree a spreading, stocky grower, and productive. 



890 SELECT VARIETIES OE FRUITS. 

Ohio Beauty. — Origin Ohio. Large, obtuse heart- 
shape ; pale yellow, mostly overspread with clear, bright 
red ; flesh quite tender, juicy, brisk, delicious. — Middle 
of June. Tree a vigorous, rather spreading grower, very 
productive, and hardy. Eanks among the best of the 
light-colored varieties. 

CLASS II. — BIGARREAU CHERRIES. 

These are chiefly distinguished from the preceding class 
by their firmer flesh. Their growth is vigorous, branches 
spreading, and foliage luxuriant, soft, and drooping. 

Bigarreau or Yellow Spanish. — Large, obtuse^ heart- 
shape ; beautiful waxen-yellow, with bright red cheek in 
the sun ; flesh quite firm, pale yellow, juicy, rich, sweet 
and delicious flavor. — Last of June. Tree a vigorous, 
stocky grower, making a fine, round head, very produc- 
tive. An old variety of the largest size and best quality. 

Cleveland Bigarreau. — Origin Ohio. Large, round 
heart-shape ; bright, clear red on yellow ; flesh half-firm, 
juicy, sweet and rich. — Last of June. Tree a fine grower, 
spreading and productive. 

Gridley or Apple Cherry. — Origin Massachusetts. Me- 
dium, roundish ; dark reddish-brown, black when fully 
ripe ; flesh very firm, not juicy or high-flavored. — Middle 
of July. Tree hardy, vigorous, and productive. A cap- 
ital market variety because of its lateness and firmness. 

Monstrueuse de Mezel (Great Bigarreau). — Origin 
France. Large or very large, obtuse heart-shape, uneven 
surface ; dark red, almost black at maturity ; flesh firm, 
juicy, well-flavored. — Early to middle of July. Tree very 
vigorous, forming a large, wide, open, spreading head. 
Productive and profitable. 

Napoleon Bigarreau ( ^^EoyalAn"!^" in Calif ornia and 
Oregon). — Very large, heart-shaped ; pale yellow, dotted 



CHEKRIES. 391 

and spotted with deep red and dark crimson ; flesh very 
firm, juicy, fine flavor. — Early in July. Tree a vigorous 
grower and very productive. 

Red Jacket. — Origin Ohio. Large to very large, reg- 
ular, obtuse heart-shape ; amber-yellow, mostly covered 
with light red ; flesh half-tender, juicy, sweet, good 
flavor. — Middle of July. Tree a free, healthy grower, 
forming a large, spreading head, very productive. Ripens 
late, and is very profitable for market. 

Rockport Bi^arreau. — Origin Ohio. Large, roundish, 
obtuse heart-shape ; amber-yellow, shaded and mostly 
covered with bright red; flesh half -tender, juicy, sweet, 
rich, excellent. — Middle of June. Tree a very erect, 
vigorous grower, forming a remarkably beautiful, upright 
head, and very productive. 

Tradescant's Black Heart (Elkhor:n-).— Origin Eu- 
rope. Very large, heart-shaped ; deep purple, almost 
black; flesh firm, moderately juicy, purplish, sweet. — 
Middle to end of July. Tree vigorous, upright, with a 
peculiar gray bark, a great bearer, and valuable for 
market or garden. 

Windsor. — Originated by James Dougall, Windsor, 
Out. Large; liver-colored; flesh remarkably firm, and of 
fine quality. — Ripens three or four days after Tradescant's 
Black Heart, or Elkhorn. Tree vigorous and productive. 
This is a new variety which promises to be valuable on 
account of its lateness, firmness, and good quality. 

CLASS III. — DUKE AND MOEELLO CHERRIES. 

These two classes of cherries are very distinct from the 
preceding. The trees are of smaller size and grow slowly; 
the leaves are thicker and more erect, and of a deeper 
green. The fruit is generally round, and in color varying 
from light red, like Belle de Choisy, to dark brown, like 
Mayduke or Morello. 



392 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. 

The Dukes usually have stout, erect branches, and 
some of them, like Belle de Choisy and Heine Hortense, 
are quite sweet. The Morellos have slender, spreading 
branches, and inyariably acid fruit. These two classes 
are peculiarly appropriate for dwarfs and pyramids on 
the Mahaleb stock, and their hardiness renders them well 
worthy of attention in localities where the Hearts and 
Bigarreaus are too tender. 

Belle de Choisy. — Origin France. Medium, round; 
skin thin, translucent, pale amber-color, mottled with 
yellowish and bright cornelian-red ; flesh yery tender, 
amber-colored, melting, juicy, sweet. — Last of June. 
Tree a healthy grower, makes a handsome pyramid on 
the Mahaleb, a regular but moderate bearer. An excel- 
lent dessert sort, valued for garden culture. 

Belle Magnifique.— Large, roundish; bright, rich red; 
flesh juicy, tender, rich, rather acid until fully ripe, 
when it is fine for the table and excellent for cooking. — 
Last of July. Tree very hardy and healthy, a moderate 
grower, abundant bearer, fine as a dwarf or pyramid on 
Mahaleb. 

Carnation. — Large, round ; yellowish-white, mottled 
and marbled with red; flesh tender, juicy, rich, a little 
acid unless fully ripe, when it is a rich, pleasant sub-acid. 
— Middle to last of July. Tree a good grower, with a 
rather low, spreading habit; a moderate, regular bearer. 

Donna Maria. — Medium, roundish; dark, clear red; 
flesh tender, juicy, rich acid. — Middle of July. Tree a 
healthy grower, hardy, forming a small, round-headed 
tree, that comes early into bearing and bears profusely. 
A valuable and profitable variety for market or cooking. 

Early Richmond. — Small to medium, roundish, borne 
in pairs, and usually recognized by the calyx remaining 
on the stem next the fruit; bright, clear red; brisk, rich 
acid. — Early to last of June. Tree hardy, healthy, vigor- 



CHERRIES. 393 

ous, forming a medium-sized tree, with long, half- 
pendant shoots, very productive, valuable, and profitable. 

Empress Eugenie. — Origin France. Large, roundish, 
flattened; dark red; flesh reddish, tender, juicy, sub-acid. 
— Middle of June. Tree of dwarf habit and moderately 
productive. 

Late Duke. — Large, heart-shape, flattened; rich, clear, 
rather dark red; flesh tender, Juicy, sprightly sub-acid. 
— Ripens gradually and hangs a long time or until last of 
July. Tree a vigorous grower for its class, and a good 
bearer; makes a fine dwarf or pyramid. 

Lieb. — Origin doubtful. Described as large or larger 
than Early Kichmond, less acid, later, and hardier. 

Louis Philippe. — Origin France. Large, roundish, 
regular; dark red, almost purplish-black; flesh red, ten- 
der, juicy, sprightly, mild acid, excellent. — Middle to 
last of July. Tree a vigorous grower, making a large 
tree for its class, with a handsome, round, spreading 
head, very productive. A very valuable sort for dessert, 
canning, cooking, or market. 

May Duke. — Large, roundish; dark, lively, rich red; 
flesh tender, very juicy, reddish, rich, and excellent sub- 
acid. — Middle of June. Tree hardy, vigorous, and pro- 
ductive, the fruit ripening gradually in succession; makes 
fine dwarfs or pyramids. 

Montmorency Lar^e-Fruited.—Origin France. Large 
roundish; dark red; flesh tender, juicy, sub-acid, very 
agreeable; one of the best flavored in this class. — 
Ripens about ten days after Early Richmond. Tree a 
good bearer, hardy, and prolific. 

Montmorency Ordinaire. — Origin France. Larger 
and finer than Early Richmond; rich red; flesh tender, 
soft, rich sub-acid, peculiarly refreshing. — Ripens ten 
days after Early Richmond. Tree remarkably prolific 



394 SELECT YAEIETIES OF FRUITS. 

and very hardy. One of the most valuable sorts in the 
class, either for the table or for canning. 

Morello (English). — Large, roundish; dark red, near- 
ly black; flesh dark purplish-red, tender, juicy, sub-acid. 
— Late July. Tree a small, healthy, but slender grower, 
forming a pretty round head as a standard, and a fine 
bush as a dwarf. 

Olivet, — Origin Trance. Of recent introduction, de- 
scribed as follows: ''Large, globular; deep red; flesh 
red, tender, juicy, rich. — Ripens early in Jane. Tree 
productive and hardy." 

Reine Hortense. — Origin France. Large to very 
large, roundish ; bright, clear red, marbled and mottled 
in yellow ; flesh tender, juicy, slightly sub-acid, delicious. 
— Middle to last of July= Tree a healthy, vigorous, 
handsome grower, and a moderate, even, regular bearer. 

Royal Duke. — Large, roundish-oblong ; rich, dark red 
at maturity ; flesh reddish, tender, juicy, sub-acid. — 
Last of June. Tree an upright, compact grower, with 
branches stouter than the average of its class. An even 
but moderate bearer. 

SMALL SELECT LISTS. 

Six for the Garden. — Black Tartarian, Coe's Trans- 
parent, Knight's Early Black, Yellow Spanish, Late 
Duke, Montmorency Ordinaire. 

For the Market Orchard. — Black Tartarian, Yellow 
Spanish, Napoleon Bigarreau, Tradescant's Black Heart, 
Montmorency Ordinaire, Windsor, Monstrueuse de Mezel. 

Section 6. — Select Nectarines. 

The ISTectarine is derived from the peach ; the trees are 
precisely alike, and the fruit differs only in the nectarine 



NECTARIITES. 395 

being smooth-skinned. It is peculiarly liable to be de- 
stroyed by the curculio. The same preventive remedy 
against curculio must be applied as with the plum. 

Boston. — Origin Massachusetts. Fruit large, roundish- 
oval; bright yellow, with a deep red and mottled cheek ; 
flesh yellow, sweet, pleasant, peculiar flavor. Freestone. 
— Early September. Tree hardy and productive. 

Downton. — Origin England. Large, roundish-oval ; 
pale green, with a violet-red cheek ; flesh greenish-white, 
melting, juicy, sweet, rich and high flavored. Freestone. 
— Last of August. 

Early Violet (Violette HItiye). — Rather large, round- 
ish ; pale yellowish-green, nearly covered with violet-pur- 
plish-red; flesh whitish, rays of red at the stone, melting, 
juicy, rich and high flavor. Freestone. — Last of August. 

Early IVewington (Lucombe's Black, etc.). — Origin 
England. Large, roundish-ovate, with a swollen point 
at apex ; pale green, nearly covered, mottled and marbled 
with red, thin bloom; flesh greenish-white, red at the 
stone; juicy, sugary, rich, excellent. Clingstone. — Early 
September. 

Elruge. — Origin England. Medium, roundish-oval; 
greenish, mostly covered with violet-red, deep red in the 
sun; flesh slightly stained with red at the stone, very 
juicy, melting, with a rich, fine flavor. Freestone. — 
Early September. This variety is widely grown and 
generally successful. 

Hardwicke's Seedling.— Origin England. Very large, 
roundish, or roundish-oval, with a swollen point at apex; 
pale yello^v, with a dark, violet-red cheek; flesh pale 
green, tinged with red at the stone, juicy, melting, rich. 
Freestone. — Last of August. Tree very hardy and excel- 
lent bearer. 

Hunt's Tawny. — Origin England. Medium, roundish, 
narrowing to the apex, with a swollen point, one side 



396 SELECT YARIETIES OF FRUITS. 

enlarged; pale orange, with a deep red cheek in the sun; 
flesh orange, melting, juicy, stained with red at the stone. 
Freestone. — Middle of August. A hardy tree, early and 
productive. 

Lord Napier • — Origin England (Eivers). Large, hand- 
some, fine flavored. Very early. 

Pitmaston Orange.— Origin England. Large, round- 
ish-ovate with a swollen point; rich orange-yellow, red, 
bronzed in the sun; flesh orange-yellow, red at the stone. 
Juicy, excellent. Freestone — Last of August or early 
September. 

Red Roman. — Large, roundish, a little flattened; green- 
ish-yellow, with a brownish-red cheek; flesh firm, green- 
ish-yellow, red at stone, juicy, rich, vinous. Clingstone. 
— Early September. Tree healthy and productive. An 
old, foreign variety of great value. 

Rivers' Orange. — Originated by Thomas Eivers, Eng- 
land. Much like its parent, the Pitmaston Orange, but 
ripening later. Tree a gTcat bearer. 

Stanwick. — Origin England, where it was grown from 
a stone brought from Syria. Large, or above medium, 
roundish-oval; greenish- white, much covered and shaded 
with violet-red when grown in the sun; flesh white, 
melting, rich, juicy, sweet. — Middle of September. 

Victoria. — Origin England. Fruit resembles Stanwick, 
except that it ripens a month earlier. It originated with 
Thomas Eivers, England, from seed of Early Violet, fer- 
tilized by Stanwick. 

Note. — Mr. Eivers in the latter part of his life origi- 
nated many new varieties of Nectarines, some of which 
promise to be valuable. 

Section" 7. — Select Peaches. 

In the descriptions for the sake of brevity, the follow- 
ing abbreviations are made use of : fl. s. denotes small 



PEACHES. 397 

flowers ; fl. 1., large flowers ; gl. glands ; glob, globose ; 
and ren., reniform. F. freestone; C. clingstone. 

Alexander. — American. Gl. glob., fl. 1. Fruit me- 
dium to large; greenish-white, nearly covered witli deep, 
rich red ; flesh whitish, melting, juicy, sweet, adhering 
slightly to the stone. Last of July, two weeks before 
Hale's Early. One of the largest and best of the very 
early varieties. Amsden's June proves to be so much like 
this that many regard it ai identical. 

Alexandra NoWesse. — English. Gl. glob. ; fl. 1. Very 
large, round, with a rather deep suture ; skin whitish 
with clusters of red dots on the sunny side ; flesh white, 
melting, rich and excellent. F. — August. 

Beer's Smock. — American. Described as a large 3'el- 
low peach of second quality, but very productive and 
popular for canning and evaporating. F. 

Bellegarde (Earlt Royal Geouge, etc.). — France. 
Gl. glob., fl. s. Fruit large, round, suture shallow; pale 
yellow-green, with a rich, j)urplish-red cheek ; flesh 
marked with red at the stone, very melting, juicy, rich, 
and high flavored. F. — Last of August. An old va- 
riety, but one of the handsomest and best. 

Bergen's Yellow, — American. Gl. ren., fl. s. Fruit 
large, globular ; deep orange, with red ; flesh yellow, 
melting, juicy, rich, luscious. F. — Early September. 
A flne peach, but only an indifferent bearer. 

Bilyeu's Late October (Bilyeu's Comet).— American. 
Large; white, with a red cheek ; flesh white, firm, juicy, 
rich. F. — Ripens about ten days after Smock. A good 
shipper. A valuable late peach. 

Chinese Cling. — Gl. ren., fl. s. Large, globular, su- 
ture shallow ; skin creamy- white, marbled with red ; 
flesh white, red at stone, juicy, melting, with a rich 
Yinous flavor. C. — Middle of September. 



398 SELECT YAKIETIES OF FRUITS. 

'Cole's Early Red. — American. Gl. glob., fl. s. 
Fruit medium size, roundish ; pale yellow, nearly cov- 
ered with red ; flesh melting, juicy, rich, sprightly. F. 
— Middle of August. A vigorous tree, hardy, abundant 
bearer, a profitable market sort. 

Columbia (Ii^^diak Peach). — American. Gl. ren., fl. 
s. Fruit medium to large, roundish, with distinct 
suture ; dull yellov/ish-red, with streaks of dark red ; 
flesh yellow, rich, juicy, excellent. F. — September. A 
profitable market sort. Tree hardy, a good grower and 
bearer ; extensively grown both in orchard and garden. 

Conkling. — American. Large, round, with a slight 
suture ; golden-yellow, marbled with crimson ; flesh pale 
yellow, juicy, sweet, vinous, high flavored. F. — Middle 
of September. A very handsome and excellent peach. 

Cooledgc's Favorite. — American. Gl. glob., fl. s. 
Fruit medium, roundish, one side slightly largest ; clear 
white, w^ith a fine crimson-red cheek ; flesh very melting, 
juicy, rich, sweet, high flavor. F. — Middle of August. 
Tree vigorous, healthy, very productive ; an extremely 
valuable, hardy, and profitable variety. 

Crawford's Early. — American. GL glob., fl. s. Fruit 
very large, roundish-oblong, suture distinct, with swol- 
len point at apex ; yellow, with red cheek ; flesh yellow, 
melting, rich, sweet, excellent. F. — Early September. 
Tree very vigorous grower, abundant bearer, widely 
grown and highly esteemed either for orchard or garden. 

Crawford's Late.— American. Gl. glob., fl. s. Fruit 
very large, roundish, with shallow suture ; yellow, with 
a fine, dark red cheek ; flesh deep yellow, red at the 
stone, juicy, melting, rich, vinous, excellent. F. — Mid- 
dle to last of September. Tree vigorous, hardy, produc- 
tive, highly valued for orchard or garden. 

Crimson Galande. — English. Gl. glob., fl. s. Fruit 
medium, roundish, very handsome ; skin almost entirely 



PEACHES. 399 

covered with yery dark crimson ; flesh tender, melting, 
deeply stained at the stone, juicy, sprightly, excellent. 
F. — Early in September. 

Druid Hil!.— American. Gl. glob., fl. s. Fruit large, 
roundish, swollen point distinct; greenish- white, clouded 
with red in the sun; flesh greenish-white, purplish- 
red at the stone, very juicy, melting, rich, vinous. F.— 
Last of September, early October. Tree very vigorous, 
abundant bearer, and profitable South and South-west ; 
it does not always ripen well in this section. 

Early Beatrice. — English. Gl. ren., fl. 1. Fruit 
medium or rather small, with a marbled red cheek; flesh 
melting and very juicy. F. — Succeeds Alexander. A 
very handsome and excellent peach; needs thinning and 
good culture. 

Early Louise. — English. Gl. rem, fl. s. Fruit me- 
dium size, round; skin bright red; flesh melting and 
juicy. F. — Eipens a few days after Early Beatrice and 
just before Early Rivers. Tree hardy and prolific. De- 
sirable for home use and near market, but too soft for 
carriage. 

Early JVewington Freestone. — American. Gl. glob., 
fl. s. Fruit large or above medium, round, suture dis- 
tinct; pale yellowish-white, dotted and shaded with red 
in the sun; flesh white, red at the stone, to. which it par- 
tially adheres unless fally ripe, melting, juicy, rich, 
vinous. F. — Middle August. Tree hardy, moderate 
bearer. 

Early Rivers.—English. Gl. ren., fl. 1. Fruit large, 
roundish; skin creamy-white, with a delicate pink cheek; 
flesh melting, juicy, vinous, with a rich delicate flavor. F. 
— Larger than, and ripens three or four days after. Early 
Louise. The finest early peach, invaluable for the 
amateur's garden and home market, but will not carry well. 



400 SELECT VARIETIES OF EEUITS. 

Early Silver. — English. Gl. ren., fl. 1. Fruit large, 
roundish-oyate; skin cream-colored with occasionally a 
light blush on the side exposed to the sun; flesh white, 
melting, yery juicy, yinous and delicious. F. — Early 
in September. 

Early Tillotson. —American. Leayes serrated and 
without glands, fl. s. Fruit medium to large; pale yel- 
lowish-white, considerable red in the sun ; flesh meltiog, 
whitish, red at stone, yery juicy, rich, and excellent. F. 
— Middle August. Tree a slow grower, mildews badly 
at the North, but South it is one of the best and most 
profitable sorts. 

Early York (Serrate Early York). — Leayes serrat- 
ed, without glands, fl. 1. Fruit medium, roundish, slight- 
ly ovate ; pale red on greenish-white ground, dark red in 
the sun; flesh greenish -white, yery tender, melting, juicy, 
sprightly, rich, excellent. F. — Middle of August. Tree 
a good, fair grower, prolific ; one of the best for orchard 
or garden. 

Fleita's or Yellow St. John.— American. Fruit large, 
roundish ; skin orange-yellow with a deep red cheek ; 
flesh yellow, juicy and high flavored. F. Grown exten- 
siyely at the South. 

Foster, — American. Eesembles Crawford's Early, but 
of better quality and ripens with that yariety. F. 

Freeman.^— American. Gl. glob. Fruit large, round- 
ish; yellow, with rich red cheek in the sun; flesh yellow, 
red next the stone, juicy, sweet, rich. F. — Middle Oc- 
tober. Originated at South Pass, 111., where it is esteem- 
ed, on account of late maturity, as a market sort. 

George the Fourth. — American. Gl. glob., fl. s. Fruit 
large, round, suture deep, one side enlarged; pale yellow- 
ish-white, rich, dark red cheek in the sun ; flesh tmted 
with red at the stone, melting, juicy, yery rich and delici- 
ous. F. — Last of August. Tree yigorous, hardy, and 



PEACHES. 401 

productive. One of the best in quality, and successful 
in almost every locality. 

Goshawk. — English. A seedling from Cooledge's Fa- 
vorite; while partaking of the fine flavor of that sort, it 
is larger and ripens about a week later. F. 

Grosse Mignonne.— French. Gl. glob., fl.l. Fruit large, 
roundish, depressed, hollow suture at apex ; greenish- 
yellow, mottled with red, purplish-red cheek; flesh white, 
marked with red at the stone, melting, juicy, very rich, 
high, vinous flavor. F. — Middle August. Tree a free 
grower, good bearer. 

Haines' Early.— American. Gl. glob., fl. s. Medium, 
round, flattened at apex, one side enlarged ; pale white, 
nearly covered with red; flesh, greenish-white, very juicy, 
melting, sweet, fine flavor. F. — Early August. Tree a 
fine grower, hardy and productive, valued highly for the 
orchard. 

Hale's Early.— American. Gl. glob., fl. 1. Fruit medi- 
um, nearly round ; greenish, mostly covered with red ; 
flesh white, melting, juicy, rich, sweet. F. — Last of 
July. Tree very hardy, a vigorous grower and abundant 
bearer ; but is liable to rot in some localities. 

Heath Clins^. — American. Gl. ren., fl. s. Fruit very 
large, oblong, roundish, suture distinct, with swollen 
point at apex; skin whitish, with blush or red tinge in 
the sun; flesh greenish-white, very tender, melting, juicy, 
rich, and of the highest flavor, adheres closely to the 
stone. 0. — October. Tree very hardy, vigorous, and 
productive. This is one of the best and most popular 
varieties in all the South and South-west. It does not 
always ripen well at the North, but may be gathered and 
kept for weeks. It is well suited to espalier training. 

Hill's Chili, — American. Fruit medium, oval, suture 
slight; skin yellow, shaded with dark red; flesh yellow, 
red at the stone, half melting, sweet, of medium quality. 



402 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. 

F. — Last of September. Tree vigorous, hardy, and pro- 
ductive. 

Indian Blood. — American. Fruit large; skin dark 
claret-color, with deep red veins; flesh deep red, juicy, 
and vinous. C. Valued at the South. 

Jacques' Rareripe. — American. Gl. ren., fl. s. Fruit 
large, roundish, compressed; dark, rich yellow, mostly 
covered with dull red; flesh yellow, red at the stone, 
juicy, slightly sub-acid. F.— Middle September. A 
popular and profitable peach in all the New England 
and Northern States. 

Kenrick's Heath (Heath Free). — American. Gl. 
ren., fl. s. Fruit large, oblong, with a swollen point at 
apex ; pale greenish-white, with a j)urplish-red cheek; 
flesh a little coarse; greenish -white, deep red at the stone; 
juicy, melting, pleasant, sub-acid. F.^ — Middle Septem- 
ber. A hardy, vigorous, and productive variety, profit- 
able, but not of the highest quality. 

Keyport White. — American. Originated in New 
Jersey. Gl. ren. Described as a large, fine, white, late 
peach. 

Lady Parham. — American. Gl. ren., fl. s. Fruit 
medium, roundish ; yellowish- white, downy ; flesh firm, 
rich, vinous. F. — Middle of October. Esteemed at the 
South. 

La Grange. — American. Gl. ren., fl. s. Fruit large, 
roundish-oblong; greenish-white, some red in the sun; 
flesh juicy, melting, very rich, sweet and high -flavored. 
F. — Last of September. Tree a hardy, good grower and 
bearer. ■ Highly esteemed and profitable in New Jersey, 
Delaware, and the peach regions of the South-west. 

Large Early York (Hon^est Johk). — American. Gl. 
glob., fl. s. Fruit above medium, roundish; whitish, with 
a clear, rich red cheek; flesh almost white, fine-grained, 
juic}', rich, mild, excellent. F. — Last of August. Tree 



PEACHES. 403 

vigorous, hardy, productive. Profitable either for orchard 
or garden. 

Large White CliiiJ?. — American. Gl. glob., fl. s. 
Large, round; white, with red on the sunny side; flesh 
whitish, tender, juicy, sweet, rich. C. — Middle of Sep- 
tember. 

Late Admirable (Tetoit de Vei^us). — Gl. glob., fl. s. 
Very large, roundish-oval; deep, bold suture, small, acute, 
swollen point at apex; pale, yellowish-green, with a red 
cheek, very dark in the sun; flesh greenish- white, red at 
the stone, juicy, melting, delicious. F. — Middle of Sep- 
tember. Tree vigorous and productive, hardy. Valuable 
and profitable either for garden or orchard. 

Late Morris White. — American. Eesembles the old 
well-known sort, but ripens about eight days later; flavor 
fine. A desirable variety. 

Lemon Cling. — American. Gl. ren., fl. s. Large, ob- 
long, with a large projecting point at apex, like a lemon; 
fine yellow, with a rich brownish-red cheek; flesh firm, 
yellow, red at the stone, to which it firmly adheres; rich, 
sprightly, vinous, sub-acid. 0. — Last of September. A 
native of South Carolina, and successful and popular 
both North and South. Many seedlings have been grown 
from it, but none to supersede it. 

Lord Palmerston.— English. Gl. ren., fl. 1. Very 
large; skin creamy- white, with a pink cheek; flesh firm, 
stained with red at the stone, to which it slightly adheres ; 
juicy and rich. — Last of September. A fine late peach. 

Magdalai — English. Gl. ren., fl. 1. Fruit medium, 
inclining to oval; skin creamy-white, marbled and blotched 
with crimson; flesh greenish, melting, rich, and fine, sepa- 
rating freely from the stone. F. — Early in Sei^tember. 

Malta. — Fl. 1. Medium, roundish ; greenish-yellow, 
blotched with purple on the sunny side; flesh light red 



404 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. 

next the stone, rich, juicy, vinous, sweet, and delicious. 
F. — Middle of September. Not productive enough for 
market purposes, but desirable for the amateur. 

Monstrueuse de Doue. — French. Gl. ren., fl. s. Fruit 
large, roundish, suture distinct ; skin whitish, nearly 
covered with red; flesh red at the stone, juicy, melting, 
vinous. F. — Last of September. Tree very vigorous 
and productive. 

Moore's FaToritCo — American. Gl. glob., fl. s.. Ee- 
sembles Oldmixon Free, but larger and ripens a little 
earlier. F. Valued in Delaware. 

Morris's White (Morris's WeiteEareripe). — Amer- 
ican. Gl. ren., fl. s. Fruit rather large; greenish-white, 
with a creamy tint when fully ripe, and a slight tint of 
purplish-red on the sun-exposed side; flesh white to the 
stone, juicy, melting, sweet, and rich. F. — Middle of 
September. Tree a vigorous grower, healthy, moderate 
but good bearer. A fruit highly valued for canning. 

Mountain Rose. — American. Gl. glob., fl. s. Large, 
roundish; skin whitish, nearly covered with dark red; 
flesh tinged with pink, juicy, vinous. F. Tree vigorous 
and productive. An excellent and early market variety. 

Mrs. Brett, — American. GL- ren., fl. s. Medium, 
roundish; skin whitish, with red on the exposed side; 
flesh white, red at the stone, juicy, melting, rich. F. 

Nectarine. — English. Gl. ren., fl. 1. Large, pointed; 
skin smooth like a nectarine, mottled with red next the 
sun; flesh red next the stone, firm, brisk, refreshing; 
highly flavored. F. — Middle of September, ripening 
with Crawford's Late. 

Noblesse. — English. Leaves serrated, without glands, 
fl. 1. Fruit large, roundish-oblong; pale green, with 
clouded red in the sun; flesh greenish-white, juicy, 
melting, excellent. F. — Last of August. Tree healthy 



PEA.CHES. 405 

and productive. A capital old sort, highly esteemed 
wherever grown. 

Oldmixon Cling.— Gl. glob., fl. s. Fruit large, round- 
ish-oval, one side slightly enlarged; yellowish- white, with 
a red cheek; flesh pale white, exceedingly rich, melting, 
and juicy. 0. — Middle of September. Tree healthy, 
hardy, vigorous, and productive. One of the best and 
most profitable of the clingstones. 

Oldmixon Freestone.— Gl. glob., fl. s. Fruit large, 
roundish, slightly oval, one side swollen; pale yellowish- 
white, marbled with red, deep red in the sun; flesh white, 
red at the stone, tender, juicy, rich, sugary, vinous. F. — 
Early to middle of September. Tree hardy, very pro- 
ductive. One of the most valuable of all the white- 
fleshed peaches, either for orchard or garden. 

Peen-To, or Flat Peach of China.— A Chinese variety 
raised by P. J. Berckmans, Augusta, Ga., from stones 
received from Australia. ' It is flat and about two inches 
in diameter. The flesh is produced on the sides only, the 
ends being flattened down to the stone, and is sweet, 
juicy, and good. Succeeds admirably in Florida. 

Picquet's Late. — American. Gl. rem, fl. 1. Large to 
very large, yellow, with a red cheek; flesh yellow, rich, 
sweet, and of first quality. F. — Matures in Georgia 
early in September. Highly valued at the South. 

President,— American. Gl. glob., fl. s. Fruit large, 
roundish-oval; skin yellowish-green, with a dull red 
cheek; flesh white, but deep red at the stone, melting, 
juicy, and high flavored. F. — Middle of September. 

Princess of Wales.-- English. Gl. glob., fl. 1. Large, 
round, cream-colored, shaded with blush; flesh deep red 
at the stone, rich, excellent. F. — Ripens w^th Crawford's 
Late. A late variety of high merit. 

Red Cheek Melocoton. — American. Gl. glob., fl. s. 
Fruit large, roundish-oval, with swollen point at apex; 



400 SELECT VARIETIES OP ERUITS. 

yellow, with a deep red clieek; flesh deep yellow, red at 
the stone, juicy, melting, rich, vinous. F. — Middle of 
September. Tree very hardy and productive. One of 
the most reliable of all varieties, and profitable for orch- 
ard or garden. A large number of varieties have been 
grown from it^ though few are sufficiently distinct or 
superior. 

Reeves' Favorite. — American. Gl. glob., fl. s. Large, 
roundish; skin yellow, with a red cheek; flesh deep yel- 
low, red at stone, juicy, melting, vinous, good. F. — 
Middle of September. 

Rivers' Early York.— English. Gl. glob., fl. 1. 
Fruit medium ; skin marbled with red ; flesh melting 
and juicy. F. — Latter part of August. 

Rodman's Cling. — American. Gl. ren., fl. s. Fruit 
large, roundish ; skin nearly covered with red ; flesh 
juicy, firm, vinous. 0. — Last of September. 

Salway. — English. Gl. ren., fl. s. Fruit large, round- 
ish, one side enlarged, suture distinct; creamy yellow, with 
a marbled, rich brownish-red cheek ; flesh yellow, firm, 
juicy, rich, vinous, sugary. F. — Middle of October. Of 
great value as a late-ripening, showy, market sort. 

Shanghai. — China. Gl. ren., fl. 1. Very large, round- 
ish to oblong ; pale green, marked with light red on 
the side next the sun ; flesh white, clings to the stone, 
very juicy, and excellent. C. — End of August. Tree 
hardy and prolific. Desirable for the amateur. 

Smock Freestone.— American. Gl. ren. Fruit large, 
oval, compressed on its sides ; orange-yellow, mottled 
with red, deep red cheek in the sun ; flesh yellow, red 
at the stone, moderately juicy and rich, vinous. F. — 
Early October. Tree a vigorous grower and productive. 
Highly valued as a late ripening, showy, and profitable 
market sort. 

Snow. — American. Gl. ren., fl. s. Fruit medium, 



PEACHES. 407 

roundish ; clear white ; flesh white to the stone, juicy, 
melting, sprightly, sweet, and rich. F. — Early Sep- 
tember. Tree hardy, very productive. Highly valued 
for preserving, canning, etc. 

Steadley.— American. Gl. glob., fl. s. Fruit medium, 
roundish; skin white, with a faint blush on the sunny side; 
flesh juicy, sweet. F.— Ripens later than Heath Cling. 

Stump the World,— American. Gl. glob., fl. s. Fruit 
large, roundish-oblong; creamy- white, with a bright, red 
cheek; flesh white, juicy. F. — Last of September. Tree 
vigorous and productive. Esteemed in l^iew Jersey, 
where it originated, as a profitable market variety. 

Surpasse Melocoton.— American. This variety, which 
originated in the grounds of Ellwanger & Barry, is large, 
roundish-oval ; rich yellow, with a red cheek ; flesh pale 
yellow, nearly white, juicy, rich, sugary, vinous, excel- 
lent. F. — Early September. Tree a strong grower, 
productive, a valuable market sort. 

Susquehanna. — American. Large, nearly round, 
suture distinct ; yellow, with a beautiful, broad, red 
cheek ; flesh yellow, sweet, rich, juicy, vinous. F. 
— Middle to last of September. Tree a fine grower, very 
popular in Pennsylvania. 

Thurher. — American. Fl. s. A seedling of the 
Chinese Cling, which it resembles. Large to Yery large, 
roundish ; skin creamy-white, marbled with crimson ; 
flesh white, juicy, vinous, rich. F. — Matures from the 
middle to the end of July in Georgia. 

Tippecanoe Clin^. — American. Gl. ren.,fl. s. Fruit 
very large, nearly round, flattened slightly at the sides ; 
yellow, with a fine, rich, red cheek ; flesh yellow, juicy, 
sweet, vinous. C. — Late Sejotember and early October. 
Tree vigorous, productive. Handsome, of a very good 
quality, valued highly where known as a market sort. 



408 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. 

Troth's Early.— American. Grl. glob., fl. s. Fruit 
medium, roandish-oval ; whitish, bright red in the sun ; 
flesh white, red at the stone, juicy, sweet. F. —Early in 
August. Tree vigorous, very productive. Extensively 
grown, and highly esteemed as a market orchard sort ; 
it is also fine for the orchard-house, and the garden. 

Wager. — .American. Fruit medium, oblong-oval ; 
flesh yellow, firm, moderately juicy, vinous, separates 
freely from the stone. F.— First of September. Said to 
be valuable for market and canning. 

Ward's Late Free,— American. Gl. rem, fl. s. Fruit 
rather large, roundish, slightly oval ; white, with a beau- 
tiful red cheek; flesh white, tinged with red at the stone, 
juic;y, melting, sweet, delicious. F.— Late September. 
Tree vigorous and productive. Very valuable for orchard 
or garden. 

Walburton Admirable.— English. Fl. s. Fruit large, 
roundish; greenish-white, shaded with dark red in the 
sun; flesh white, stained red at the stone, melting, juicy, 
rich, and sweet. F. — Last of September. Tree a good 
grower and productive; this variety, wherever it has been 
grown in this country, has been found valuable. 

Waterloo. — American. Gl. glob., fl. s. Medium to 
large, round, with a deep suture on one side; pale whit- 
ish-green in the shade, marbled red, deepening into dark 
purple-crimson in the sun ; flesh greenish- white, with an 
abundance of sweet, vinous juice ; adheres considerably 
to the stone, like Hale's Early, Amsden^ etc. — The first 
fruit shown of this sort ripened from eight to ten days 
earlier than Alexander. Subsequent crops ripened about 
the same time as Alexander and Amsden. In point of 
quality, Waterloo is superior to either of these sorts, and 
seems less disposed to decay. 

Wheatland. — American. Gl. rem, fl. 1. Large to very 
large, roundish, a distinct suture on one side; skin golden- 



PEACHES. 409 

yellow, with crimson on the exposed side; flesh yellow, 
rather juicy, sweet, and excellent. F. — Ripens between 
Crawford's Early and Late. Tree vigorous and prolific. 

Yellow Alberge (Barn'ard's Yellow). — Gri. glob., 
fl. s. Fruit medium or above in size, roundish; yellow, 
with a deep purplish-red cheek; flesh yellow, deep red at 
the stone, juicy, sweet, vinous, pleasant. F. — Early Sep- 
tember. Tree hardy, vigorous, and productive. This 
old French peach holds a popular position as a reliable 
and profitable variety, although of only second-rate 
quality. Many seedhngs have been grown from it, al- 
most identical with the parent. 

Yellow Rareripe.— American. Gl. glob., fl. s. Large, 
roundish ; orange-yellow, a rich, red cheek, shaded off 
and striped; flesh deep yellow, red at the stone, melting, 
juicy, vinous, excellent. F. — Last of August. Tree 
vigorous and productive. One of the best and most 
profitable very early yellow-fleshed peaches grown. 

Brice's Early, Brigg's Red May, Bower's Early, Cum- 
berland, Downing, Early Canada, G-ov. Garland, Harper's 
Early, Honeywell, Musser,' Saunders, and Wilder, being 
nearly alike in size, flavor, growth, and period of ripen- 
ing, and showing no superiority over Alexander, we 
do not consider them of sufficient importance to be de- 
scribed separately. 

SELECT GARDEN VARIETIES. 

Named in order of rijiening. — Waterloo, Alexander, 
Early Louise, Early Rivers, Hale's Early, Large Early 
York, Cooledge's Favorite, George the Fourth, Early 
Silver, Foster, Crawford's Early, Conkling, Oldmlxon 
Free, Princess of Wales, Crawford's Late, Ward's Late 
Free. 

Varieties generally successful in Neio England, Western 
New York, Ohio, and Michigan in order of ripening, — 
18 



410 SELECT YA.RIETIES OF PRUIT3. 

Waterloo, Alexander, Early Louise, Early Kiyers, Hale's 
Early, Early York, Large Early York, Haines' Early, 
Cooledge's Favorite, George the Fourth, Foster, Craw- 
ford's Early, Surpasse Melocoton, Conkling, Morris 
White, Oldmixon Free, Crawford's Late, Eed Cheek 
Melocoton, Stump the World, Smock Free, Hill's Chili, 
Ward's Late Free. 

Varieties for Profitabte Marhet Orchards in order of 
ripening. — Waterloo, Alexander, Early Elvers, Hale's 
Early, Mountain Eose, Large Early York, Cooledge's 
Favorite, Foster, Crawford's Early, Jacques' Eareripe, 
Morris White, Eeeves' Favorite, Oldmixon Free, Craw- 
ford's Late, Eed Cheek Melocoton, Stump the World, 
Smock. 

Varieties successful South and South-west in order of 
ripening. — Alexander, Early Beatrice, Early Elvers, 
Hale's Early, Early Tillotson, G-eorge the Fourth, Fleita's 
St. John, Mountain Eose, Crawford's Early, Eeeve's 
Favorite, Oldmixon Free, Crawford's Late, Thurber, 
Chinese Cling, Oldmixon Cling, Stump the World, 
Columbia, Druid Hill, Smock, La Grange, Heath Cling, 
Steadley, Picquet's Late, Bilyeu's Late October. 

Secticis" 7. — Select Plums. 

Aatumn Gage^ — Origin New York. Medium, oval, 
broadest at the stem end; pale yellow, with a thin, 
whitish bloom; flesh greenish-yellow, juicy, sweet, pleas- 
ant, separates freely from the stone. — September. Tree 
a vigorous, spreading grower, and an abundant bearer. 

Belle de Septembre. — Origin Belgium. Large, round- 
ish, inclining to oval; reddish-purple, with a thin blue 
bloom; flesh orange-yellow, juicy, sweet, vinous, rich, 
adheres to the stone. — September and October. Tree a 
nioderate grower and productive. A very handsome and 
valuable late plum. 



PLUMS. 411 

Bleecker's Gage. — Origin New York. Medium or 
above, roundish-oval ; yellowish, with a thin, white 
bloom; flesh yellow, juicy, rich, sweet, excellent, sepa- 
rates freely from the stone. — Last of August. Tree a 
good grower and productive. 

Blue Imperatrice* — Medium, oval-obovate; deep pur- 
ple, covered with a thick, blue bloom; flesh greenish- 
yellow, rich, and sugary, adhering to the stone. — October, 
and will keep into November. Tree vigorous and a 
heavy bearer. Valuable on account of its lateness. 

Bradshaw. — Large, oval-obovate; reddish-purple, with 
a light, blue bloom; flesh rather coarse, juicy, brisk, 
pleasant, adheres slightly to the stone. — August. Tree an 
upright, vigorous grower, productive and profitable. 

Bryanston's Gage. — Medium, oval; pale yellow, with 
a bronze cheek in the sun; flesh a little coarse, juicy, 
sweet, pleasant, adheres slightly to the stone. — September 
and October. 

Coe's Golden Drop. — Origin England. Large, oval, 
distinct suture; light yellow, with dark, carmine-red 
spots in the sun; flesh yellowish, firm, juicy, rich, ad- 
heres to the stone. — Last of September. Tree a moder- 
ately vigorous grower, hardy, and a great bearer. Widely 
disseminated and highly esteemed. 

Columbia. — Origin New York. Large or very large, 
nearly round; brownish-reddish-purple, covered with a 
blue bloom; flesh orange, sweet, and rich, separates from 
the stone. — Last of August. Tree a very vigorous 
grower, and productive. A valuable market sort. 

Denniston^s Superb. — Origin New York. Medium or 
below, roundish, flattened; pale, but rich yellow, blotches 
of purple in the sun; thin, white bloom; flesh juicy, rich, 
sweet, vinous, separates from the stone. — Last of August. 
Tree moderately vigorous, forming a small, round head, 
very productive. One of the best for the garden. 



412 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. 

Duane's Purple. — Origin New York. Large, oval, 
distinct suture, one side enlarged; pale red, becoming 
reddish-purple in the sun, lilac bloom; flesh amber-color. 
Juicy, sprightly, moderately sweet, adheres partially to 
the stone. — Middle to last of August, Tree yery vigorous 
and productive. 

Fellemberg. — Origin Europe. Medium, oval; dark 
blue, with a bloom; flesh dark yellow, juicy, sweet, and 
good, separates from the stone. — Early in October. An 
old, Italian prune, a moderate, spreading grower, great 
bearer, and very valuable. 

General Hand* — Origin Pennsylvania. Very large, 
roundish-oval; deep yellow, marbled with greenish- 
yellow; flesh coarse, pale yellow, sweet, moderately juicy, 
separates freely from the stone. — September. Tree very 
vigorous and productive. Eine for market. 

German Prune. — Medium, long-oval, one side swollen; 
purple, with a thick, bine bloom; flesh firm, not juicy, 
greenish, sweet, pleasant, separates freely from the stone. 
— September. Tree a good grower, very productive. 
Valuable for market and highly esteemed for drying. 

Goliath. — Large, roundish-oblong; deep red, approach- 
ing purple, with a thin, blue bloom; flesh yellow, adheres 
considerably to the stone, juicy, with a brisk, pleasant 
flavor. — Last of August. Tree vigorous and a very great 
yielder. 

Green Gage. — Origin France. Rather small, round; 
yellowish-green, with dot tings of red in the sun; flesh 
pale green, exceedingly juicy and melting, rich, sprightly, 
luscious, separates from the stone. — Middle of August. 
Tree a short- jointed, healthy, but slow grower, making a 
small, round head, and bearing abundantly. Has no 
superior in quality; suitable for a choice garden collec- 
tion. 

Huling's Superl). — Origin Pennsylvania. Very large. 



PLUMS. 413 

roundish-oval, shallow suture; greenish-yellow, covered 
with a thin, pale bloom; flesh greenish-yellow, rather 
coarse, rich, brisk, sprightly, adheres to the stone. — 
Middle of August. Tree a fair, upright grower, with 
large foliage, a good, moderate bearer. 

Ickworth Imp^ratrice,— Origin England. Rather 
above medium, obovate; purple, traced with fawn; flesh 
greenish-yellow, sweet, juicy, rich, adheres partially to 
the stone. — Early October. Tree a good, fair grower, 
productive. Valuable for its late ripening, and for its 
peculiarity of hanging a long time on the tree as well as 
for keeping after being gathered. 

Imperial Gage. — Origin New York. Rather above 
medium, oval, suture distinct; green, until fully ripe, 
when it is known by the peculiar marbling of two shades 
of green, white bloom; flesh greenish, very juicy, rich, 
melting, pleasant flavor, separates freely from the stone. 
— Early September. Tree one of the best of growers, and 
productive; everywhere popular and profitable for market 
or garden. 

Jefferson. — Origin New York. Large, roundish-oval; 
golden-yellow, with a beautiful red cheek; flesh orange- 
yellow, juicy, rich, luscious, separates freely from the 
stone. — Last of August. Tree a moderate, rather slow 
grower, but a regular, good bearer. One of the best in 
quality. 

July Green Gage. — Medium, roundish-oblong, suture 
distinct; greenish-yellow, tinted with purple in the sun; 
flesh yellow, juicy, sweet, separates from the stone. — 
Last of August. Tree a moderate grower, productive. 

Lawrence's Favorite. — Origin New York. Medium, 
roundish, a little flattened; dull, yellowish-green, clouded 
with streaks of a dark shade; flesh greenish, juicy, melt- 
ing, rich, sprightly, delicate, vinous, separates freely from 



414 SELECT YAEIETIES OF FRUITS. 

the stone. — Middle of August. Tree vigorous, upright, 
very productive. 

Lom1)ard. — Origin New York. Medium, roundish- 
oval; violet-red, thin bloom; flesh deep yellow, juicy, 
pleasant, not rich, adhering to the stone. — Last of 
August. Tree vigorous, a great bearer. Profitable for 
market, and succeeds where many other sorts fail. 

Lucombe's Nonsuch. — Origin England. Above me- 
dium, roundish; yellowish-green, distinctly streaked with 
yellow and orange; flesh pretty firm, greenish, adheres to 
the stone. — Early September. Tree moderately vigorous, 
very productive. 

Maguum Bonum, Yellow (Yellow Egg, etc.).— A 
popular old variety, with some twenty synonyms. Large, 
or very large, egg-shape, or oval; yellow, with white 
dots and a thin bloom; flesh yellow, acid until fully ripe, 
when it is sweet, adheres to the stone. — Last of August. 
Tree very vigorous, productive. Valued for market and 
cooking. 

McLaughlin. — Origin Maine. Large, roundish, flat- 
tened at ends; yellow, dotted and marbled with red in 
the sun, thin bloom; flesh yellow, rather firm, juicy, very 
sweet, delicious, adheres to the stone. — Last of August. 
Tree a hardy, vigorous grower, productive. One of the 
most valuable. 

Monroe Gage. — Origin New York. Eather above 
medium, oval; greenish-yellow, rarely with ablush; flesh 
greenish-yellow, not very tender, but sweet. — ^Early Sep- 
tember. Tree vigorous, productive. 

Ontario. — Origin New York. Large, roundish; yellow, 
marbled; flesh moderately juicy, sweet, rich, adheres to 
the stone. — Early in August. Tree a good grower and 
very productive. Originated by Ellwanger & Barry, 
Rochester, N. Y. 

Orange. — Origin New York. Large, oval, flattened; 



PLUMS. 415 

bronze-yeilow, clouded with purplish-red near the stalk; 
flesh yellow, a little coarse, moderately juicy, and good. 
— Last of August. Growth yery vigorous, and the tree 
bears abundant crops. 

OuUin's Golden Gage. — Origin Germany. Large, 
roundish-oblong; yellow, flecked with green, small, crim- 
son dots in the sun, and a thin, white bloom; flesh tender, 
Juicy, sugary, excellent, adhering slightly to the stone. 
Tree vigorous and productive. A valuable early plum. 

Orleans* — See Smith's Orleans. 

Peters' Yellow Gage. — Origin Xew York. Medium, 
roundish-oval; yellow, with crimson dots in the sun, 
thin, light bloom ; flesh yellowish, juicy, adheres shghtly 
to the stone. — Middle of August. Tree a moderately 
vigorous grower ; an abundant bearer. 

Pond's Seedling. — Origin England. Very large, oval ; 
yellowish, covered with violet-red, thin, white bloom ; 
flesh yellow, a little coarse, juicy, sugary. — Middle of 
September. Tree a good grower, and an abundant bear- 
er ; a beautiful fruit. 

Prince Englebert, — Origin Belgium. Large, oblong- 
oval ; deep purple, with a blue bloom ; flesh yellowish- 
green, juicy, sugary, rich, separates freely from the stone. 
— Last of August. Tree vigorous, a great bearer. Very 
valuable for market, dessert, or cooking. 

Prune d'Agen (Robe de Sergei^-t, etc.). — Origin 
France. Medium, oval ; violet-purple, with a thick 
bloom ; flesh greenish-yellow, juicy, rich, sugary, and 
delicious, adheres slightly to the stone. — Last of Sep- 
tember. Tree a moderate grower, very prolific. 

Quackenboss. — Origin New York. Large, roundish- 
oblong ; deep purple, covered with blue bloom ; flesh 
greenish-yellow, a little coarse, juicy, sprightly, sweet, 
adheres slightly to the stone. — September. Tree a very 
rapid, upright grower, and productive. 



4:16 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. 

Reine Claude de Bavay (Bavay's Greej^ Gage).— 
Origin Belgiu m. Large, roundish, a little flattened ; 
greenish-yellow^ with splashes of green, thin bloom; flesh 
yellow, juicy, sugary, melting, rich, excellent, separates 
from the stone. — Last of September. Tree a vigorous 
grower, and very productive. One of the best in quality, 
very valuable, and extensively planted as a late market 
sort. 

Saint Catherine. — Origin France. Medium, obovate, 
deep suture ; pale yellow, a little reddish in the sun, 
thin, white bloom ; flesh yellow, juicy, rather firm, and 
adhering partly to the stone. — Middle to last of Septem- 
ber. Tree an upright, rather slender grower ; pro- 
ductive. Highly prized for drying. 

Saint Lawrence.— Origin New York. Large, dark 
purple ; flesh juicy, melting, sweet, adheres to the stone. 
— September. Tree a good grower, productive. — Origi- 
nated in the grounds of Ellwanger & Barry, Rochester, 
J^. Y., from a seed of Smith's Orleans. 

Shropshire Damson. — Origin England. Medium to 
small, oval ; dark purple ; flesh melting, juicy, separates 
freely from the stone. — October. Tree healthy and pro- 
ductive. One of the best of the Damsons. 

Smith's Orleans. — Origin Long Island. Large, round- 
ish-oval ; reddish-purple, covered with a blue bloom ; 
flesh deep yellow, a little firm, very juicy, brisk, vinous, 
adheres to the stone. — Last of August. Tree vigorous 
and very productive. One of the most valuable for or- 
chard or garden. 

Victoria (Sharp's Emperor, etc.). — Origin England. 
Large, roundish-oval ; light yellow, marbled, spotted, 
and shaded with lilac and purple, thin, lilac bloom ; flesh 
yellow, coarse, not juicy or sugary, a little vinous, and 
separates from the stone. — Middle of September. Tree 



PLUMS. 417 

vigorous, but irregular m growth, productive. A plum 
of the largest size, showy, and valuable for market. 

Wangenheim. — Origin Germany. Medium, oval; deep 
purple, thick, blue bloom ; flesh greenish-yellow, rather 
firm, juicy, sugary, rich, separates from the stone. — Last 
of August. Tree a moderate grower, but goo.d bearer. 
One of the best of the sorts designated as prunes. 

Washington. — Origin New York. Large to very large, 
roundish-oval ; dull or deep yellow, with marblings of 
green, with a pale red or crimson blush in the sun ; flesh 
yellow, firm, very sweet and rich, separates freely from 
the stone. — Last of August. Tree a stocky, vigorous, 
healthy grower, very productive. One of the most reli- 
able for market or garden. - ^ 

Yellow Gage (Prince's). — Origin Long Island. Me- 
dium to large, oval, broadest next the stalk ; golden-yel- 
low, covered with a white bloom ; flesh deep yellow, rich, 
sugary, juicy, melting, separates freely from the stone. 
— Early in August. Tree very vigorous, forming a large, 
spreading head, very hardy and productive. A popular 
and profitable variety. 

SMALL SELECT LISTS OF PLUMS. 

For the Garden. — Ooe's Oolden Drop, Oreen Gage, 
Prince Englebert, Jefferson, Fellemberg, Smith's Orleans, 
Keine Claude de Bavay, McLaughlin, Washington. 

For Market. — Yellow Magnum Bonum, Smith's Or- 
leans, Pond's Seedling, Lombard, Eeine Claude de Bavay, 
Bradshaw, General Hand, Quackenboss, Fellemberg, 
German Prune. 

For Drying. — German Prune, Saint Catherine, Fellem- 
berg. 

KATIVE PLUMS OR VARIETIES OF AMERICAlsT SPECIES. 

Comprising varieties of value only where the finer Eu- 
ropean sorts cannot be cultivated. 



418 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. 

De Car adeuc— Origin the Southern States. Fruit 
small or medium, roundish-oblate ; skin pale yellow, 
waxy looking, with a brownish-red cheek ; flesh juicy, 
sweet ; cling. — July. Supposed to be a hybrid between 
the Chickasaw and a European variety. Said to be a 
valuable early market variety at the South. 

Langdon.— Origin Illinois. Fruit small or medium, 
round, like a large cherry ; skin dark red, thick, and 
tough ; flesh firm, flavor medium.— Ripens late in Oc- 
tober. Tree a moderate grower. 

Miner. — Origin Pennsylvania. Fruit medium^ oblong, 
pointed ; skin deep red, thick; flesh soft, juicy, vinous, 
adheres to the stone. — Ripens late in October. Tree 
vigorous. 

Newman. — Fruit medium, roundish-oval; skin a beau- 
tiful glossy-red color, with a delicate, purple bloom; flesh 
juicy, melting, vinous. — Commences to ripen early in 
October, and continues through the month. Tree vig- 
orous, hardy, and productive. Ranks next in value to 
the Wild Goose. 

Weaver. — Origin Iowa. Said to be of value for the 
West and extreme North on account of its hardiness. 

Wild Goose. — Origin unknown. A variety of the 
Chickasaw. Fruit medium, oval; skin bright vermilion- 
red; flesh yellow, juicy, sweet; cling. — Ripens the latter 
part of July and first of August. Tree vigorous and 
productive. Valuable on account of its earliness and 
beauty. 



CURRANTS. 419 

THIKD DIVISION.— SMALL FEUITS. 

CUERANTS, GOOSEBERRIES, RASPBERRIES, STRAW- 
BERRIES, BARBERRIES, BLACKBERRIES, MUL- 
BERRIES, GRAPES, AND FIGS. 

Section 8. — Select Currants. 

The CurraDt is a most useful fruit, indeed indispensable 
to every garden, large or small; it fills a space of a couple 
of weeks after the strawberries, raspberries, and cherries, 
and before the apricots, early apples, and pears; and be- 
sides this, it possesses a remarkable combination of sweet 
and acid, that fits it for an almost endless variety of use- 
ful and agreeable preparations, both in the green and 
ripe state. 

The white varieties are mildest flavored, and therefore 
better for using in a raw state when ripe. The red are 
preferable for Jellies, etc., on account of their beautiful 
color. 

Black Naples. — One of the largest and best black cur- 
rants; bears profusely. Valuable for jam and jellies. 

Cherry. — Very large, exceeding an inch in circumfer- 
ence, bunches short, color dark red, ripens at the same 
time as Red Dutch; shoots stout, short- jointed, and erect, 
foliage thick, dark green, slightly folded, and bluntly 
and coarsely serrated. Mr. Lewelling, of California, has 
40 acres planted with this variety; we saw the plantation 
in full fruit in 1870. It is stated that the crop of 1871 
was 150,000 lbs., sold at from 8 cents to 15 cents per 
pound. 

Fay's Prolific— Origin Chatauqua Co., N. Y. Said 
to be a cross between Cherry and Victoria. Color rich 
red; described as being as large as the Cherry, but more 
prolific and less acid. 



420 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. 

La Versaillaise.— Similar to the Cherry in all respects, 
so much so as to be supposed by many to be identical; it 
is generally believed that it is less acid and the bunches 
a little longer ; a very vigorous grower, productive, and 
highly valued. 

Lee's Black Prolific. — Origin England. Described as 
being larger than Black Naples, and very productive. 

Long-Bunclied Red. — Much like Eed Dutch, but with 
clusters longer and larger, and rather larger fruit ; a 
strong-growing, productive, and valuable variety. 

Prince Albert. — A moderate grower, with large, stiff, 
deeply-cut foliage, very productive; valued for its late 
ripening; fruit light red, large, acid. 

Red Dutch. — A well-known sort, generally superseded 
by the larger varieties. 

Short-Bunched Red. — A strong, upright grower; ber- 
ries large; bunches short; mild acid. 

Victoria or Houghton Castle. — ^Very large, bright red, 
bunches five or six inches long; hangs on the bushes after 
others are gone ; distinguished at once by its remarkably 
long bunches and bright red color, and by the foliage, 
which is quite distinct, dark green, coarsely and bluntly 
serrated, quite flat, and frequently reflexed or turned 
backwards at the edges ; the shoots are not so stout and 
erect as those of the Cherry. 

White Dutch. — Yellowish- white, transparent, milder 
than the red, and better for using raw ; excellent. 

White Grape. — Larger every way than the preceding; 
the largest white currant ; growth rather spreading, fo- 
liage thicker, deeper green, and more reflexed. There 
are several other sorts under cultivation, of little value, 
unless to those who are making large collections for 
curiosity and experiment. 



gooseberries. 421 

Sectiok 9. — Gooseberries. 
class i. — ekglish varieties. 

The following, from the large English sorts, have all 
proved excellent. In our climate these are all more or 
less subject to mildew. 

Red. — Ashton, Companion, Conquering Hero, Crown 
Bob, Dan's Mistake, Ironsides, Ironmonger, Lion's Pro- 
vider, Speedwell, Talfourd. 

White. — Freedom, Jenny Lind, Lady Leicester, Mayor 
of Oldham, Patience, Whitesmith, White Swan. 

Green. — Fair Helen, Great Britain, Thumper, Turn 
Out, Stockwell, Surprise. 

Yellow. — Champagne, Guiiner, Gipsy Queen, High 
Sheriff, Eailway, Yellow Sulphur. 

CLASS II. — AMERICAN VARIETIES. 

American Seedling (Pale Eed). — A vigorous grower, 
bush upright, with slender wood; very productive, never 
mildews ; fruit medium to small, pale red, sweet, good ; 
hangs a long time, very valuable. 

Downing. — Originated at Newburgh, N. Y. An up- 
right, strong grower, productive; fruit medium or above, 
roundish-oval; green, with the rib veins distinct, smooth, 
juicy ; good. The best for family use of any of the 
American sorts. 

Houghton's Seedling.— Kaised in Massachusetts from 
the seed of a native variety. It is a vigorous grower, 
with drooping branches, very productive ; fruit medium 
or below, smooth, pale red, sweet, very good. 

Smith's Improved. — Grown from the seed of Hough- 
ton ; fruit medium or above, oval ; light green ; flesh 
moderately firm, sweet and very good ; vigorous and j)ro- 
ductive. 



422 select vakieties of eeuits. 

Sectioi^ 10. — Select Easpbereies. 

class i. — foreign varieties akd their seedlings 
of american origin. 

Belle de Palluau. — A Erencli yariety, with strong, 
yigorous, upright canes ; short, purphsh spines; fruit 
large, conical ; bright crimson, -firm, juicy, and rich. 

Clarke* — Origin New Haven, Conn. Canes strong and 
vigorous; half-hardy ; long spines, fruit large, conical, 
bright crimson, rather soft, juicy, excellent ; produces 
suckers freely ; succeeds finely in light soils. 

Fastolf. — Canes very strong, nearly hardy, erect, 
branching ; fruit very large, roundish, conical ; purplish 
red, rich, fine flayor ; productive. 

Franconia. — Canes strong, branching, yellowish- 
brown; short, stout, purple spines; fruit large, obtuse, 
conical, purplish-red, pretty firm, rich acid ; one of the 
hardiest of this class; productiye and profitable. 

French (Vice-President Fkench). — Origin Phila- 
delphia, Pa. Canes strong, upright; spines short and 
stout ; fruit medium to large, roundish, rich, bright 
crimson, large grains, sweet and yery good. 

Herstinei — Origin Philadelphia, Pa. Canes strong, of 
a light color; spines green; fruit large, conical; crimson, 
moderately firm; sub-acid and good. Season quite early. 
Plant vigorous and very productiye. Valuable for family 
use and near market. 

Hornet. — A French variety, with strong, upright, yig- 
orous canes; stout, purplish spines ; fruit large, conical, 
rather firm, crimson red, juicy, sweet. 

Hudson River Antwerp (Red Antwerp of the Hud- 
son Eiver). — Origin unknown. Has been long and prof- 
itably cultivated along the Hudson River, where it is 
esteemed most yaluable of all sorts for market. The crop 



RASPBERRIES. ' ' 423 

from three acres has in one season sold for $1,500. Canes 
short, stout, almost spineless. 

Knevett's Giant. — A very strong grower, erect, small, 
reddish spines ; fruit large, obtuse, conical, deep red, 
firm, rich ; almost hardy and very productive. 

Orange (Beinckle's Obakge). — Origin Philadelphia, 
Pa. Canes strong, branched, white spines ; fruit large, 
conical, clear orange yellow, juicy, rather soft, sweet, 
rich, and excellent ; the best of all light-colored varieties. 

Parnell. — Large, long, dark red, moderately firm, 
jiaicy, and of fair quality ; quite hardy and productive. 

Red Antwerp. — This is the common Red Antwerp of 
England ; distinct from the Hudson River Antwerp. 
Canes tall and strong; light, red spines; fruit large, 
obtuse, conical, dark red, juicy, brisk, vinous, fine 
flavor. 

Victoria. — An English variety of rather dwarf habit ; 
fruit very large, dark red. 

CLASS II. — AMEEICAN" SPECIES AN"D VARIETIES, BLACK 
CAPS, ETC. 

American Black Cap (Doolittle, Josltin-'s Black 
Cap, etc.). — A hardy native variety, improved by culti- 
vation, very productive ; one of the best of its class for 
profitable market growing, as it ripens early and carries 
well. 

Brandywine (Susqueco). — Origin unknown. Medium 
to large ; bright scarlet ; firm, moderately juicy, quality 
inferior ; canes stocky and of a reddish color. Consid- 
ered valuable for market on account of its hardiness, 
productiveness, and firmness. 

Caroline. — Origin New York. Medium, roundish- 
oblate ; pale salmon ; flesh soft, juicy, with a sub-acid 
flavor, of fair quality. The plant is hardy and prolific ; 



424 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. 

it is propagated both from tips and suckers. Valuable 
only for home use or near market, being too soft for ship- 
ping. 

Cuthbert (Queen of the Market). — Origin New 
York. Large, roundish-conical ; bright red, firm, mod- 
erately juicy, of fair quality ; canes tall, strong, yigorous, 
upright ; plant hardy and productive. Season medium 
to late. Promises to become a popular market sort. 

Gregg, — Origin Indiana. Large, roundish-oblate ; 
black, with bloom ; flesh quite firm, moderately juicy, 
sweet ; plant vigorous and productive. Eipens late. 
This is the largest of the Black Cap family, and the most 
popular market berry. 

Highland Hardy,— Medium to small ; red; flavor 
poor. It is grown profitably in some localities on account 
of its earliness. 

Miami (Mammoth Cluster, McCormick). — One of 
the best of the Black Caps ; ripens a little earlier than 
Gregg. 

Philadelphia, — A variety found wild in tlie County of 
Philadelphia, Pa. Fruit medium, roundish; dark crim- 
son, moderately firm, mild sub-acid, of inferior quality ; 
a hardy variety, succeeding on light soils and in latitudes 
where the Antwerps cannot well be grown. Formerly it 
was grown extensively for market, but is now nearly 
superseded. 

Iteliance. — Origin 'New Jersey. Large, roundish ; 
dark red, quite firm, with a sprightly flavor ; canes 
strong, with greenish spines ; vigorous and productive. 
Season medium to late. May be described as an improved 
"Philadelphia." 

Seneca Black Cap.— A variety of the Black Cap, 
larger and later than the American, vigorous and pro- 
ductive ; fruit has a shade of purple, with a light bloom, 
juicy and sweet. 



RASPBERRIES. 425 

Souheg^an. — Originated in the yalley of the Souhegan 
River, New Hampshire, in 3 870, from seed of the Doo- 
little. Said to be the earliest of all the Black Caps. 
Berries large, jet black, without bloom ; plant hardy and 
productive. 

Thwack.— Origin Missouri. A red variety of indif- 
ferent flavor, but esteemed at the West and South-west for 
market, on account of its hardiness and firmness. 

Turner. — Origin Jacksonville, 111. Medium, roundish- 
conical ; bright scarlet ; flesh soft, sweet, pleasant ; 
season early ; very productive and extremely hardy ; val- 
uable for family use and near market. A favorite at the 
West especially, on account of its hardiness. 

CLASS III — AUTUMl^AL BEARI]!^G VARIETIES. 

The product of this class of Easpberries is upon the 
ends of the canes of the present season's growth, and to 
insure a full autumn crop, all the old canes should be cut 
away in the spring, and all the suckers kept down, con- 
fining the new growth to the few strong, vigorous canes. 

Belle de Fontenay.— A French variety, with stout, 
branching canes, and an over-abundance of suckers, 
which must be cut away as so many weeds, in order to 
insure a crop ; fruit, large, roundish, conical, purplish- 
red, sprightly, moderately firm, and rich. 

Merveille des Quatre Salsons (October Red).— A 
French variety, with strong, upright canes and purple 
spines ; fruit medium, roundish, somewhat conical, bright 
red, rather soft, Juicy, sweet, and rich. 

Ohio Everbearing.— A variety of the American Black 
Cap, identical in every respect, except that it has the 
habit of fruiting in Autumn. 



426 SELECT VAKIETIES OF FRUITS. 

CLASS lY. — YARIETIES OF RASPBERRIES KOT YET SUFFI- 
CIEIS'TLT TESTED TO BE PUT IKTO THE SELECT LIST. 

Baumforth's Seedling. — Origin England. A new 
variety raised from the seed of the Northumberland Fill- 
basket, and described as follows: ''The plant is of a 
stronger constitution than its parent, and more produc- 
tive; fruit one-third larger and of a richer crimson color; 
flavor rich with a fine aroma." 

Crimson Beauty.— Originated by Dr. Stayman, of 
Kansas. A new variety, described as follows: ''Very 
large, bright glossy scarlet, round to oblong, earlier than 
the Turner, of a more pleasant sprightly flavor, equally 
hardy, more productive, and of a much larger size; the 
earliest of all." 

Hansen. — Origin l^ew Jersey. A new variety, described 
as follows: "Medium to large; bright crimson; very 
firm; flavor fine; canes vigorous, productive, and entirely 
hardy. The earliest of all Raspberries." 

Hopkins. — Origin Missouri. A Black Cap, described 
as being in all respects superior to Gregg. 

Lost Rubies. — Origin unknown. Claimed by the dis- 
seminator to be " the brightest, firmest, largest, and most 
productive of all the hardy natives; exceedingly vigorous 
and healthy." 

Marlboro. — A new variety, raised by A. J. Cay wood 
& Son, Marlboro, N. Y. Described as hardy, vigorous, 
and productive; fruit one-fourth larger than the old 
Hudson Eiver Antwerp; flavor delicious. 

Montclair. — Origin New Jersey. Described as fol- 
lows: "Medium to large, roundish, dark red; flesh quite 
firm, juicy, sprightly, of good quality; plant vigorous 
and productive." 

Sliaffer's Colossal. — Origin Monroe Co., New York. 
A recently introduced variety. Large, dark red, or pur- 



STRAWBERRIES. 427 

pie ; flesh quite firm, of a sprightly, sub-acid flavor; 
very vigorous, hardy, and productive. 

Superb. — Origin New Jersey. A new variety, des- 
cribed as ^' large, rich, dark scarlet; flavor remarkably 
tart, and juicy, unlike any other raspberry; vigorous, 
hardy, and productive; ripens early, and lasts a long 
time." 

Tyler, — An early variety of the Black Cap, described 
as being of good size and quality, jet black, without 
bloom, and very productive. 

Welsh. — Origin New Jersey. A new variety, described 
as follows; ^* Medium size; bright red; firm, not of high 
quality; canes vigorous, productive, and unusually hardy. 
Season very early." 

Sectio^st 11. — Select Strawberries. 

Varieties marked with a ( jo) have pistillate or imper- 
fect flowers, and must be planted near perfect flowering 
kinds in order that the flowers may be fertilized. 

CLASS I. — AMERICAIs^ VARIETIES. 

Bidwell. — Origin Michigan. Plant very vigorous, 
foliage of a light green color; fairly productive; fruit 
large to very large, conical, generally regular, but occa- 
sionally flattened; bright, glossy crimson, changing to 
dark crimson; flesh moderately firm, crimson to the 
centre, juicy, sub-acid, of fair quality, but not high 
flavored. Season early. 

Charles Downing.— Origin Kentucky. Plant very 
vigorous, productive; fruit large, conical, pretty regular, 
scarlet, firm; pinkish flesh, juicy, sweet, and rich. 

Crescent Seedling (jo).— Origin Connecticut. Plant 
very vigorous and hardy, and for productiveness has no 
equal; fruit medium to large, conical; color bright 
scarlet; flesh soft, acid, inferior quality; very profitable 



428 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. 

for near market. Season early to late; variable both in 
quality and quantity. 

Cumberland Triumph. — Origin Pennsylvania. Plant 
vigorous and productive; fruit large, ovate-conical, regu- 
lar, and uniform, very handsome; color beautiful light 
red; flesh moderately firm, with a pleasant flavor. Too 
soft for shipping to long distances, but valuable for the 
amateur and near market. Season medium. 

Duchesse* — Origin New York. Plant vigorous and 
productive; fruit medium to large, nearly round, uni- 
form, light crimson; flesh moderately firm, good, and 
sprightly; ripens early and lasts a long time; one of the 
most reliable early sorts. 

Green Prolific (p). — Origin New Jersey. Plant vig- 
orous, hardy, and very productive; valued for home or 
near market; does not bear long transportation; fruit 
large, obtuse-conical, scarlet, surface soft; rather acid, 
but rich. 

Hovey (p). — Origin Boston, Mass. An old, well- 
known sort, succeeds in rich, good soils, is one of the 
handsomest and firmest grown; plant vigorous, moder- 
ately productive; fruit large, or very large, roundish, 
rich, shining scarlet; flesh firm, rich, juicy, sweet, agree- 
able; medium season of ripening. 

Kentucky (Dowker). — Origin Kentucky. Plant very 
vigorous, with long fruit stalks, hardy and productive; 
fruit large, roundish-conical, dark red, moderately firm; 
juicy, a little acid, rich, and good; a valuable late 
variety. 

Lennig's White. — Origin Pennsylvania. Plant moder- 
ately vigorous; fruit large, roundish, flattened, whitish, 
tinged with red; flesh soft, tender, juicy, a delicious 
pineapple flavor, excellent; a poor bearer, but of such 
superior quality as to be desirable for the amateur's 
garden. 



STRAWBERRIES. 429 

Monarch of the West. — Origin Illinois. Plant yigor- 
ous and productive; fruit large, roundish; bright red, 
showy; flesh moderately firm and of good quality; season 
medium. At one time very popular, but gradually losing 
favor. 

Neunan's Prolific* — A popular variety at Charleston, 
S. 0. 

IVicanor. — Origin Eochester, N. Y. Plant hardy, 
vigorous, productive, ripens early and continues a long 
time; fruit uniform, moderately large, roundish-conical; 
bright scarlet; flesh reddish, rather firm, juicy, rich, 
sweet. 

President Wilder.— Originated by Hon. M. P. Wilder, 
of Massachusetts. Plant vigojpous, hardy, productive; 
fruit large and handsome, obtuse-conical; bright crimson- 
scarlet; flesh juicy, firm, rich, sweet, excellent. Succeeds 
well in some localities. 

Sharpless.— Origin Pennsylvania. Plant remarkably 
vigorous and luxuriant, hardy and prolific; fruit very 
large, generally oblong, narrowing to the apex, irregular, 
often flattened; clear, light red, with a smooth, shining 
surface; flesh firm, sweet, with a delicate aroma; excel- 
lent quality; season medium to late. A. S. Fuller, in 
describing it, says: *^^A genuine surprise to strawberry 
growers generally, because it has proved to be all that 
was claimed for it at the time of dissemination." Of all 
the strawberries introduced within the last ten years, no 
other has become equally popular. It produces its best 
crops grown in hills or narrow rows, and requires good 
culture. 

Wilson's Albany.— Origin New York. The most 
widely grown and universally successful and profitable of 
any strawberry yet produced. Plant very hardy, vigor- 
ous, and very productive, early to ripen and continu- 
ing to the latest ; fruit large, conical ; deep crimson ; 



430 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. 

flesli crimson, tender, brisk, juicy, sub-acid ; will only 
rank as second or third in quality. 

Windsor Chief (p) (Gabdi^^er). — Plant yigorous and 
yery productive ; fruit large, globular ; dark crimson ; 
flesli firm and good, though rather acid. One of the 
best late yarieties for market. 

CLASS IL — FOREIGN VARIETIES. 

Jncunda* — Plant moderately yigorous, hardy, pro- 
ductive ; fruit large to very large and beautiful, conical, 
sometimes flattened coxcomb-shape ; clear, light scarlet ; 
flesh light pink, moderately firm, sweet, often hollow 
and deficient in flavor ; quite variable ; succeeds well 
in some localities. Season medium to late. 

Triomphe de Gaud. — Plant vigorous, hardy, and pro- 
ductive ; fruit large, roundish, obtuse, sometimes cox- 
comb-shape ; bright red, greenish at apex end, glossy ; 
flesh firm, a little hollow at core, juicy, rich, aromatic, 
agreeable. This and Jucunda are probably the most 
generally successful of the foreign sorts. 

TroUope's Victoria (Goldek Queek, etc.).— Plant 
yigorous, moderately productive ; fruit large, roundish ; 
pale red ; flesh light scarlet, tender, juicy, sweet, rich, 
aromatic. 

CLASS III. — ALPII^E VARIETIES. 

Alpine Wood.— The wild strawberry of Europe ; red 
and white in color. Plants very hardy, productive, 
ripening a long time in succession ; fruit small, conical, 
with a peculiar musky, agreeable flavor ; easily grown 
from seed. 

Alpine Bush. — The bush Alpines make no runners, 
and are highly valued on account of their long-continued, 
regular bearing from June to October, and for the fa- 
cility with which they can be used as edging plants. 



STRAWBERRIES. 43 1 

•both useful and ornamental ; the fruit is small, red or 
white in color, conical, pleasant, musky, juicy, sweet ; 
propagated by division or seeds. 

Autumnal Galande* — A productive variety, large, 
conical, light red, excellent. 

Montreuil. — A large and excellent variety of the Al- 
pine, much grown around Paris. Should be in every 
amateur's collection. 

CLASS lY. — HAUTBOIS STRAVTBERRIES. 

Belle Bordelaise. — A French sort, of medium size; 
dark red, with a high, musky flavor ; plant productive 
and very ornamental. 

Monstrous Hautbois* — Plant Very vigorous, with broad 
serrated foliage, highly ornamental, very productive, 
bearing its fruit, which is large, on high footstalks, dark 
colored, with a rich, slightly musky flavor. 

Royal Hautbois* — Plant vigorous, very prolific ; fruit 
medium to large, roundish, conical, dark crimson ; flesh 
soft, sweet, musky, rich. Originated by Thomas Elvers, 
of England, from seed of Belle Bordelaise. 

CLASS V. 

New varieties of strawberries not yet sufiSciently 
tested to go in the select list, and old sorts esteemed 
only in particular localities. 

Black Defiance. — Origin New Jersey. Plant vigorous, 
if grown in suitable soil, and moderately productive ; 
fruit large, obtuse- conical ; dark crimson ; flesh firm, 
solid, juicy, and high flavored ; requires high culture. 
Season early. 

Captain Jack. — Origin Missouri. Plant vigorous and 
very productive ; fruit of good size, round ; light scarlet ; 



432 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. 

flesh moderately firm ; flavor poor. Season late. Es- 
teemed in some parts of the West. 

Crystal City. — Origin Missouri. Plant vigorous, but 
only moderately productive ; fruit medium, conical ; 
light crimson ; flesh soft, quality good when very ripe. 
Valuable only to the amateur on account of its earliness, 
being the first to ripen. 

Duncan. — Origin ^N'ew York. Plant vigorous and pro- 
ductive ; fruit medium to large, roundish-oval ; bright 
crimson ; flesh moderately firm and high flavored. Val- 
uable for table use, as it is one of the best in point of 
flavor. Season early. 

Forest Rose. — Origin Ohio. Medium to large, obtuse 
conic, usually regular, sometimes coxcombed ; color 
light, rich crimson ; flesh firm, juicy, rich ; plant vigor- 
ous and productive ; requires high culture. 

CrOlden Defiance (p). — Origin Pennsylvania. Plant 
vigorous and very productive, often twelve to fifteen ber- 
ries on a truss; fruit medium to large, roundish regular; 
dark crimson; flesh moderately firm, and of good qual- 
ity. One of the best late varieties. 

Great American. — Origin New Jersey. Medium to 
large, roundish-conical; beautiful deep crimson ; flesh 
firm, flavor good ; plant moderately vigorous and produc- 
tive; under high culture does well in some localities. 
Season late. 

Hervey Davis, — Origin Massachusetts. Medium to 
large; obtusely conical; bright scarlet; flesh firm, flavor 
good; plant vigorous and productive. Season medium. 

Jersey Queen (p). — Origin N"ew Jersey. A new and 
promising variety; fruit large, handsome, and of fine 
quality. Season late. 

Longfellow. — Origin Kentucky. A large, handsome, 
fine-flavored berry; plant moderately productive. Season 
late. 



STRAWBERRIES. 433 

Manchester (p). — Origin New Jersey. A very prom- 
ising, new variety, described as large, handsome, firm, 
and of the best quality; plant vigorous and productive. 
Season medium to late. 

Miner's Great Prolific. — Origin New Jersey. Plant 
vigorous; fruit large, roundish, inclining to conical, 
somewhat ribbed; crimson; flesh moderately firm; flavor 
good; valuable for near market. Season medium to late. 

Oliver Goldsmith, — Origin Ohio. Described as being 
large, handsome, and fine flavored ; plant vigorous and 
productive. Season medium to late. 

Pioneer. — Origin New Jersey. Large, oval; light 
scarlet; flesh moderately firm; flavor very good; plant 
vigorous and moderately productive. Season early. 

Prouty's Seedling. — Large, conical; bright scarlet; 
flesh moderately firm and of fair quality; plant vigorous 
and productive. 

Seneca Queen. — A variety said to be very promising 
for home use and near market. Described as ^^ large, 
almost round; dark crimson; flavor good; plant vigorous 
and very productive." Season early to late. 

Seth Boyden (Boydeist's No. 30). Plant vigorous and 
productive; large, roundish, conical, regular; bright 
crimson; flesh juicy, rich, sub-acid of excellent quality. 
Season medium to late. With good culture one of the 
best of Strawberries. 

Triple Crown. — Origin New York. Said to be a val- 
uable variety for home garden and market on account of * 
its fine flavor. Season medium. 

Warren. — Origin Kentucky. At the South-west highly 
valued. Only partially tested here. Season medium early. 

Big Bob (p), Early Canada, Finch's Prolific, Oypsy 
(/>), Hart's Minnesota, James Vick, Mount Vernon or 
Kirkwood, Nigh's Superb, Phelp's Seedling, Piper's 
19 



434 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. 

Seedling, Primo, are new yarieties, not yet generally 
tested, but bearing strong recommendations from the dis- 
seminators. 

Section 12. — Berberries, 
epike yikette of the french. 

Common Red. — This is everywhere well known; grown 
not only for the fruit, which is used for preserves, jellies, 
and pickles, but for ornament. The bright scarlet oval 
fruit is borne in rich clusters, which hang on until late 
in the autumn. 

Sweet-Fruited (Berberis dulcis). — The fruit of this 
is much less acid than the common. The plant is not so 
vigorous. 

Besides these, there are several species and varieties 
cultivated chiefly for ornament; TJie White-fruited, The 
Violet-fruited, and the Variegated-leaved, its foliage mark- 
ed with yellow; The Purple-leaved and Purple-fruited, 
the most unique and ornamental of all, the former with 
beautiful violet-purple foliage. They are all easily propa- 
gated by layers or suckers, and the rare sorts by grafting; 
seeds of the purple-leaved variety produce a large pro- 
portion true. 

Section 13. — Select Blackberries. 

CLASS I. 

Agawam* — Fruit of medium size; jet black; sweet, 
melting to the core; early; plant hardy and prolific. 

Ancient Briton. — Fruit medium size; melting, without 
core and with a pleasant favor; a little better in quality 
than Agawam or Snyder. Plant hardy and productive. 

Dorcliester (Improved High Bush). — A moderately 
strong, upright grower, very hardy, moderate bearer ; 
fruit medium to large, oblong; deep, shining black; when 
fully ripe, soft, juicy, rich. 



BLACKBERRIES. 435 

Kittatinny* — A strong grower, yery productive, quite 
liardy; fruit large to very large, roundish, conical; glossy 
black; rather firm, rich, juicy, sweet, excellent; profitable 
for market or garden. 

New Rochelle or Lawton". — A very strong grower, 
with strong, stout spines, hardy in most localities, very 
productive ; fruit very large, oval, black, rather soft; 
juicy, tender, sweet, excellent ; requires to be fully ripe, 
otherwise it is acid and lacking in flavor. 

Snyder, — Origin Indiana. Fruit medium size and of 
good quality; plant very hardy and remarkably produc- 
tive ; requires good cultivation ; ripens early. 

Wachusett Thornless. — Fruit medium size, oblong 
oval, moderately firm, sweet and good; said to be valua- 
ble as a market berry ; comparatively free from thorns. 

Wilson's Early, — A moderately strong grower, produc- 
tive, and ripening early ; fruit large, oblong, oval, black, 
firm, juicy, a little hard at center, sweet and good ; a 
profitable, early market sort. 

CLASS II. 

The following are new and promising varieties of 
Blackberries not sufficiently tested to insert in the select 
list. 

Early Harvest and Stayman's Early, of medium size, 
are said to be the earliest of Blackberries. 

Stone's Hardy,— Origin Illinois. Said to be hardier 
than Snyder, more productive, a larger berry and of better 
quality. 

Taylor's Prolific, — Origin Indiana. A promising new 
berry, said to be larger than Snyder, equally as hardy and 
very productive ; ripens after the Snyder. 

Wallace. — Another new variety, said to be similar to 
the Kittatinny in many respects, but hardier. 



436 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. 

Western Triumph. — Described as being larger than 
Snyder and as hardy ; flavor fine ; commences to ripen 
quite early and continues until late. 

All the Blackberries ripen just after Easpberries, and 
help to fill up a vacant season just before the early peach- 
es, pears, etc. 

The fruit is not only agreeable for the dessert, but 
among the best for canning, and always healthful. 

Sectioi^ 14. — Mulberries. 

Black. — A native of Persia. The beiTy is an inch and 
a-half long, and nearly an inch in diameter, black, suc- 
culent, sugary, and rich. The tree is highly ornamental, 
very erect, with a large, spreading head. The leaves ap- 
pear late in spring, are large, heart-shaped, sometimes 
lobed, deep green, and form a dense shade. 

Everbearing.— This variety was grown from seed by 
Chas. Downing and is regarded as a valuable fruit ;' the 
fruit is large, one and a quarter inch long, and nearly 
half an inch in diameter, color from maroon to blue 
black ; flesh juicy, sugary, sprightly, and vinous ; it 
ripens gradually, a long time in succession. 

Johnson. — This variety originated in Ohio. It is a 
strong, vigorous-growing tree, with very large leaves, and 
very productive ; the fruit is large, blackish, sub-acid, 
mild, pleasantly agreeable. 

Section 15. — Gra.pes. 

select hardy native grapes. 

class i. — black grapes. 

Barry (Sogers' No. 43). — Bunch large and handsome; 
berries large, roundish ; delicate, sweet, and tender. 



GRAPES. 437 

Eipens with Concord. Vine vigorous and productive. 
One of the largest and finest of the Rogers' Hybrids. 

Champion (Talmak's Seedlikg). — Bunch medium to 
large, compact, shouldered ; berry large, round ; skin thick 
and firm ; fiesh somewhat pulpy, juicy, sweet, with a 
slight foxy flavor. Ripens before Hartford Prolific. — A 
large, handsome, early grape, of poor quality, but profit- 
able on account of its extreme earliness. 

Clinton. — A well-known old sort. The bunches are 
small to medium, compact, berries small ; colors early, 
but requires a considerable time after that to attain full 
maturity, and will hang until early winter. Successful 
both North and South. A hardy, productive, valuable 
sort. 

Concord. — Almost too well known to need a word. 
It is a very strong, vigorous, and productive variety ; 
succeeding in almost every soil and locality. One of the 
earliest and most profitable; valuable for garden or vine- 
yard. The bunch is large, shouldered; berry large, round; 
flesh juicy, pleasantly sweet, agreeable ; skin too thin to 
carry well, and therefore not good for distant markets. 

Creveling. — An old variety. Supposed origin Penn- 
sylvania. Bunch medium, often very loose, shouldered; 
berry medium, round, blue bloom ; flesh tender, juicy, 
sweet, very little pulp; richer than Concord, and ripens 
a little before that variety. A fine grape, but does not 
always set well. 

Cynthiana. — A variety much like Norton's Virginia. 
Highly prized for wine purposes in the West; vine vigor- 
ous, hardy, and productive, and by some deemed superior 
to Norton. 

Elsinburgli. — An old variety ; a moderate, regular 
bearer; much esteemed in Missouri for wine, also for the 
table. The bunch is pretty large, long, and loose, 



438 SELECT VAEIETIES OF FRUITS. 

shouldered ; berries small, round ; flesh free from pulp, 
juicy, sweet, excellent. 

Essex (RoGEEs' No. 41). — Vine a vigorous and strong 
grower, productive ; bunch medium size, short, shoul- 
dered; berry large, tender, and sweet. Eipens with Con- 
cord. 

Eumelan. — Origin New York. A supposed seedling 
of the Isabella. Bunch and berry medium; flesh tender, 
sweet, juicy, rich, excellent ; vine moderately vigorous 
and a good bearer. One of the best for the table. 

Hartford Prolific* — A very popular variety because of 
its early maturity. The vine is vigorous, hardy, and a 
good bearer; bunch large, shouldered; berry large, round, 
musky; thick skin, black, with a bloom; flesh sweet, with 
a tough acid pulp; rich and good when fully ripe. Liable 
to drop its berries from the bunch when fully ripe, and 
more so on sand than clay soils. A week earlier than 
Concord. 

Herliemont. — A Southern variety, highly esteemed in 
Missouri and many Southern localities, as profitable and 
desirable for wine or table. North it does not ripen its 
fruit generally. The bunch is large, compact; berries be- 
low medium, almost black ; flesh juicy, sweet, rich, aro- 
matic. 

Herbert (Eogers' No. 44).— Bunch rather loose; berry 
medium ; flesh tender, sweet, a little pulpy, very good; 
vine vigorous, a strong grower, and moderately produc- 
tive. Ripens with Concord. A large, handsome variety. 

Isabella. — This old, well-known sort continues popular 
and profitable in many localities, but is rapidly being su- 
perseded. It is a vigorous grower, an immense bearer, 
and hardy, but in some localities it is liable to mildew. 
In quality, it is the best of any of the black grapes of its 
season. Bunches large, rather loose; berries oval, pretty 
large ; flesh tender, juicy, sweet, slightly musky. Still 



GRAPES. 439 

one of the best for market, where it ripens, as it carries 
and keeps well. 

Ives (Ives' Seedling). — Originated with Henry Ives, 
Cincinnati, Ohio. Vine very vigorous, hardy, and very 
productive. It is esteemed at the West as a profitable 
wine grape, and also as a tolerable table grape when fully 
ripe. 

Merrimack (Rogers' No. 19). — Bunch medium, rather 
short; berry large, round, slight bloom; flesh tender, 
juicy, sweet; vine vigorous and productive. One of the 
earliest and best of the Rogers' varieties. 

Monroe. — Raised from seed by Ellwanger & Barry, 
Rochester, N. Y. Bunch medium to large, shouldered; 
berries medium to large, round ; skin rather thick, black, 
covered with a coating of white bloom, handsome; flesh 
juicy, vinous, and sprightly; vine vigorous, with firm, 
short-jointed wood, which always ripens well, and fine, 
healthy foliage, which has never shown a trace of mildew. 
Ripens with Hartford Prolific. 

Moore's Early. — Raised by J. B. Moore, Concord, 
Mass. Bunch large, berry large, round; black with a 
blue bloom; quality medium; ripens about ten days be- 
fore Concord; vine vigorous and productive; useful as an 
early variety. 

Norton's Virginia. — Introduced to cultivation by Dr. 
D. N. Norton, of Richmond, Va. It is a strong, vigor- 
ous, long grower, producing very abundantly, and highly 
esteemed for wine. Bunch medium, shouldered; berries 
small, purplish black; flesh tender, juicy, rich, brisk, 
rough, sweet flavor. Although most largely grown in 
Missouri, it is equally adapted to the North, as it ripens 
with Isabella. 

Telegraph (Christi:n-e).— Originated in Philadelphia. 
Vine vigorous, hardy, very productive. Bunch above 
medium to large, compact; berry large, round, black; 



440 SELECT VAEIETIES OF FRUITS. 

flesh, juicy, tender, very little pulp, not as sweet as Hart- 
ford Prolific, but free of all the musky flavor, and ripen- 
ing at same time. 

Wilder (Eogers' No. 4). — This is believed to be the 
best of the black varieties grown by E. S. Eogers, of 
Salem, Mass. The vine is vigorous, hardy, a good bearer, 
and the fruit hangs well to the vine, and is a good keeper. 
Bunch large, compact, shouldered; berry large, round, 
black; flesh tender, slight pulp at center, juicy, sweet, 
rather rich and aromatic. Ripens about with Concord. 
Valuable for market on account of its size and beauty. 

Worden, — Origin 'New York. Said to be a seedling of 
the Concord. Bunch, large, compact, handsome; berries 
large, larger than those of the Concord. It ripens a few 
days earlier, and is superior to it in flavor. 

CLASS II. — RED GRAPES. 

A^awam (Rogers' No. 15). — Vine very vigorous, hardy, 
productive, a little liable to mildew; bunch variable, 
sometimes large and fine, often small and imperfect; ber- 
ries large, roundish, thick skin; flesh tender, juicy, sweet, 
aromatic, hard center pulp with a native musky aroma. 
Generally regarded as one of the best of Rogers' red varie- 
ties. 

Brighton. — Raised by Jacob Moore, Rochester, N. Y., 
by crossing the Concord and Diana Hamburgh. Bunch 
large; berry medium to large, round; color red at first, 
turning to purple when fully ripe, and covered with a 
bloom; flesh tender, sweet, and vinous; vine a luxuriant 
grower, making long, strong canes, with large foliage; 
ripens a little earlier than Concord. A fine grape, and 
.worthy of careful culture. 

Catawba. — A native of Maryland. The Catawba does 
not always ripen at the North, except in certain localities; 
but where it does ripen perfectly, no grape of its season 



GRAPES. 441 

surpasses it in quality or value. It has been subject to 
rot, etc., in some localities, but it is again renewing 
itself; and in sections where, a few years since, it was 
unprofitable, it is now one of the best. It has been more 
generally grown as a wine and table grape than any other, 
except, perhaps, the Isabella, and to-day holds supremacy 
in many localities. Except in sheltered or favored locali- 
ties, and in good seasons, it does not ripen well in Western 
New York. Bunch medium to large, loose; berries large, 
coppery red, with light bloom, round; flesh slightly 
pulpy at center, juicy, very sweet, musky, aromatic, rich. 
Eipens early in October, but will haug, and is im- 
proved, until weather becomes too cold. Keeps well 
during winter. 

Delaware.— This in quality is one of our most delicate 
and best of native varieties. The vine is perfectly hardy, 
a healthy grower, requiring rich soil, has short-jointed 
wood, and bears abundantly, so much so, that, if long 
pruned, which is best, it should have more or less of its 
fruit thinned out. As a table-dessert grape, or for wine, 
it is one of the best. The bunch is small, compact, 
shouldered; berries small, round, clear, light red, 
almost translucent; free from pulp, sweet, vinous, 
aromatic. 

Diana. — Originated in Boston, Mass. Supposed to be 
a seedling from the Catawba. Vine vigorous, healthy, 
hardy, and productive, requires age to develop its true 
qualities. A thin, light, or poor soil is better suited to 
it than one over-rich. It hangs well after ripening, and 
is one of the best winter keepers among grapes. The 
bunches are large, compact; berry medium, reddish-lilac; 
flesh juicy, nearly free from pulp, sweet, aromatic; colors 
early, but does not attain perfect maturity earlier than 
Catawba. A valuable table and wine grape where it 
ripens well. 



442 SELECT VAEIETIES OF FRUITS. 

Gaertner (Rogers' No. 14). — Bunch large; berry 
large^ round, red, skin thin, almost translucent; flesh 
somewhat pulpy, but soft and pleasant flavored; vine 
healthy and productive. One of the handsomest of 
grapes; but little known. 

Goethe (Rogers' No. 1). — Vine very vigorous and pro- 
ductive. Ripens with Catawba. Succeeds well South 
and South-west, or wherever the Catawba ripens per- 
fectly. At the North and East, it does not ripen per- 
fectly, except in sheltered, warm locations. Bunch large, 
moderately compact; amber, flushed with red; flesh ten- 
der, melting, sweet, juicy. 

lona* — Originated by Dr. Grant. Vine moderately 
vigorous, hardy, productive. The fruit colors early, but 
does not really ripen much, if any, earlier than Catawba. 
It has been widely disseminated, but is not found suc- 
cessful as a vineyard sort, except in certain localities. 
Bunch medium to large, shouldered; berries medium size, 
roundish-oval; light, xclear red, thin bloom; flesh soft, 
tender, vinous, juicy, sweet, delicious. A grape of supe- 
rior quality, and should be in every garden where the 
climate is suitable. Needs high culture. 

Lindley (Rogers' No. 9). — Vine healthy and vigorous; 
foliage rather sparse; a good bearer; bunch medium, 
compact; berry medium, roundish, pale reddish; flesh 
sweet, tender, juicy, slightly aromatic. One of the best 
and earliest of the Rogers' list. 

Massasoit (Rogers' No. 3). — ^Vine moderately vigor- 
ous, productive; bunch medium, rather loose; berry 
large, roundish, light claret-red; flesh tender, juicy, 
sweet; ripens just before Concord; is a desirable variety 
for the garden. 

Rochester. — Raised byEllwanger & Barry, Rochester, 
N. Y. Bunch large to very large, shouldered, frequently 
double-shouldered, very compact ; berries medium to 



GRAPES. 443 

large, round; dark purple or purplish lilac, with thin, 
white bloom; flesh very sweet, vinous, rich and aromatic; 
vine a remarkably vigorous grower; wood short- jointed 
and hardy; foliage large, thick, healthy, has never been 
known to mildew. Its habits are similar to the Diana, 
and it requires ample room and rather long pruning. 
Ripens usually the first week in September. The fruit 
sets well, and it has never failed to ripen in the worst of 
seasons since it first bore. It should be used when ripe, 
as after that the berries begin to fall from the bunch. 

Salem (Rogers' No. 53).— Vine healthy, vigorous, and 
productive; bunch large, compact; berry large, round; 
dark, coppery red; flesh tender. Juicy, slight pulp, sweet, 
a little foxy, aromatic. Ripens about same season as 
Concord. 

CLASS III. — WHITE GRAPES. 

Duchess. — Raised by A. J. Caywood, Marlboro, N. 
Y., and said to be a cross of a white Concord seedling 
and Delaware. Bunch medium to large, shouldered, 
compact; berries medium, roundish, light green at first, 
changing to greenish-yellow when mature; flesh tender, 
free from pulp, juicy, sweet, rich, and of fine quality; 
vine vigorous, productive. Ripens with Concord. 

Lady. — Originated by Mr. Imlay, of Muskingum Co., 
Ohio. Said to be a seedling of the Concord. Bunch 
medium; berry about the size of Concord; skin light 
greenish-yellow, covered with white bloom; flesh tender 
and sweet; ripens early; vine hardy and vigorous. A 
valuable early grape. 

Lady Washin^^ton. — A cross of Concord and Allen's 
Hybrid, raised by J. H. Ricketts, ISTewburg, N. Y. Bunch 
large, shouldered; berry medium to large; skin green at 
first, changing to a pale yellow when matured; flesh 



444 SELECT VARIETIES OE FRUITS. 

pulpy but tender, juicy, sweet, not rich; ripens after the 
Concord. A remarkably vigorous growing vine, and a 
beautiful fruit when in perfection. 

Martha. — Eaised by Samuel Miller, of Bluff ton. Mo. 
Vine a vigorous grower and a good bearer, hardy and 
healthy; bunch medium; berry large, roundish; greenish- 
yellow; flesh juicy, sweet, a little pulp at centre. Eipens 
with Concord. 

Maxatawney.— Originated in Pennsylvania. Vine vig- 
orous, hardy, healthy, and productive. Eipens with 
Isabella; bunch medium, rather loose, berries medium, 
roundish-oval; greenish or yellowish-white, tinted with 
amber; flesh free from pulp, tender, sweet, juicy, 
sprightly, delicious. 

Niagara* — Originated with Hoag and Clark, Lockport, 
N. Y. Said to be a cross of Concord and Cassady. 
Bunch large, compact; berry large, roundish; skin green, 
covered with a whitish bloom; of about same quality as 
Concord and ripens at the same time. Vine vigorous, 
hardy, and productive. A large, handsome, white grape, 
not of the highest quality, but promising to be valuable 
for market. 

Pocklington. — Eaised from seed of Concord by John 
Pocklington, Sandy Hill, N. Y. Bunch large, shoul- 
dered, compact ; berry large, roundish ; skin pale amber, 
when ripe ; fair quality ; vine hardy, healthy, vigorous, 
and productive. Eipens about the same time as Concord. 
A handsome grape, promising to be valuable for market. 

Prentiss. — A seedling of Isabella, raised by J. W. 
Prentiss, Pultney, N. Y. Bunch medium, compact ; 
berry medium, round ; skin thick, firm, pale yellow when 
ripe ; flesh tender, juicy, sweet, and pleasant. Eipens 
with Concord. Vine moderately vigorous and produc- 
tive. 

Rebecca. — Origin Hudson, N. Y. Vine a free but 



GRAPES. 445 

not strong grower, an abundant bearer, hardy in most 
localities ; ripens soon after Concord, and deserves a 
place in every garden ; bunch medium, compact ; berries 
medium, greenish-yellow, almost golden amber at full 
ripeness ; flesh rather firm, juicy, sweet, delicious. When 
well ripened it is not surpassed by any of the native 
grapes. 

CLASS IV. 

The following list embraces many of the promising new 
varieties, as well as some old ones, either not sufficiently 
tested to go on the select list, or esteemed only in partic- 
ular localities. 

Adirondack, — Origin Port Henry, Essex Co., IST. Y. 
Bunch large ; berries medium ; -skin black ; flesh tender 
and sweet. Eipens among the earliest. Vine moder- 
ately vigorous. A grape of excellent quality, well suited 
to warm localities. 

Allen's Hybrid. — Bunch medium or above ; berry me- 
dium, roundish ; skin pale, whitish-yellow ; a delicious 
grape, very much subject to mildew. In some locations 
it ripens its fruit perfectly every year. 

Amber Queen. — A new variety, which originated with 
N. B. White, Norwood, Mass., from seed of the Marion 
hybridized with pollen of Black Hamburgh ; bunch and 
berry of medium size ; amber color at first, changing to 
purple overspread with bloom, when perfectly ripe ; flesh 
tender, free from pulp, sprightly, vinous, rich. Kipens 
with Concord. Vine vigorous and healthy. It has the 
serious defect of setting its fruit imperfectly. 

August Giant. — Raised by IS". B. White, Norwood, 
Mass. Described as follows : *^ A cross between Black 
Hamburgh and Marion. Bunch very large ; berries very 
large, somewhat oblong ; color black ; fruit, when well 



446 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. 

grown, has a decided Hamburgh flavor, tender, rich, 
fine. Eipens in August. Vine vigorous and produc- 
tive." 

Bacchus. —A seedling of the Clinton raised by James 
H. Kicketts. Described as follows: *^ Bunch compact ; 
berry medium, round ; black with blue bloom ; pulp half 
tender, juicy ; vine vigorous, hardy, and productive. A 
wine grape." 

Black Eagle and Black Defiance are hybrids raised by 
Stephen Underbill, Croton Point, N. Y. Both are black. 
The first ripens early, the latter later, and are represented 
to be very promising table grapes. 

Burnet. — A new grape raised by Mr. P. 0. Dempsey, 
Prince Edwards Co., Ont., by hybridizing the Hartford 
Prolific with pollen of the Black Hamburgh. Bunch 
medium ; berry medium, oval, purplish black ; flavor 
sprightly, vinous, rich, agreeable. Kipens with Concord. 
Poliage tender, and fruit does not always set well. This 
variety merits trial by the amateur, on account of the 
fine quality of the fruit. 

Canada. — Eaised by Charles Arnold, of Ontario, and 
said to be a cross between Clinton and Black St. Peters. 
Vine moderately vigorous ; foliage tender ; bunch and 
berry large ; flesh nearly free from pulp, and fine. 
Kipens with Concord. 

Centennial. — Raised by D. S. Marvin, Watertown, N. 
Y. Described as ^' Bunch medium to large, compact, 
sometimes shouldered ; berries medium, round; skin 
thick, tough, light red, with thin white bloom ; flesh 
tender, juicy, rich, sweet, vinous. Ripens with Concord. 
Vine vigorous." 

Croton. — Originated by S. Underbill, Croton Point, 
N. Y. Said to be a cross between Delaware and Golden 
Chasselas. Bunch large, shouldered ; berry medium or 
above, greenish-yellow ; flesh juicy, sprightly, sweet, rich. 



GRAPES. 447 

delicious flavor. Ripens between Hartford Prolific and 
Concord. In some places a valuable garden variety, 
but variable. 

Early Dawn.— Originated with Dr. Wm. A. M. Cutli- 
bert, of Newburg, N. Y. Bunch medium; berry medium, 
round, black with bloom ; flesh juicy, sweet, rich, 
vinous, and of excellent quality. Eipens early. Vine 
vigorous and productive. A fine grape for the amateur. 

Early Victory, — A new variety raised by John Burr, 
Leavenworth, Kansas. Described as follows: ^'^ Bunch 
medium, compact ; berry medium, round, black, covered 
with a fine blue bloom; flesh tender, sweet, rich; ripens 
very early, two weeks before the Concord and one before 
Moore's Early, the quality far superior to either. It 
makes a high flavored wine ; vine hardy, vigorous, and 
productive." 

El Dorado.— One of Mr. Ricketts' hybrids, of the 
same parentage as Lady Washington, and described as a 
large, handsome, and promising white grape, ripening 
about with Hartford. 

Elvira. — A seedling from Taylor raised by Jacob 
Rommel, of Morrison, Mo. Bunch medium, very com- 
pact ; berry medium, round ; pale green, with white 
bloom; skin thin, transparent; pulp tender, juicy, sweet. 
Ripens a few days after the Concord. Vine vigorous, 
hardy, and productive. This variety is, we believe, 
esteemed at the West for wine. It is useless here, the 
berries cracking badly, and the flavor being indifferent. 
Our experience with Uhland has been similar. 

Golden Drop. — Raised by 0. Gr. Pringle, of Vermont, 
from seed of the Adirondack, fertilized by the Delaware. 
A small yellowish-white grape of fine quality, but both 
vine and fruit mildew. 

Highland, — A hybrid between Concord and Jura Mus- 
cat, raised by James H. Ricketts, Newburgh, ^N". Y. 



448 SELECT VAKIETIES OF FRUITS. 

Bunch large, shouldered; berry large, round, with bloom; 
flesh juicy, sweet, and vinous. Kipens late, probably too 
late for this locality. 

Empire State (Ricketts). — A seedling of the Hart- 
ford Prolific, fertilized with the Clinton. Described as 
follows: ^"^ Bunch large, shouldered; berry medium to 
large, roundish-oval, white, with a slight tinge of yellow; 
flesh tender, juicy, rich, sweet, and sprightly. Ripens with 
Hartford Prolific. Vine a good grower. 

JaneSYille. — An early black grape, originated with F. 
W. Loudon, Janesville, Wis. Useless here, but said to 
be valuable in cold sections on account of its earliness, 
hardiness, and habit of maturing its short-jointed wood. 
Ripens with the Hartford. 

Jeffersoili — A cross of the Concord and lona, raised 
by James H. Ricketts, ]N"ewburgh, N. Y., described 
as follows: '^^ Bunch large, shouldered, compact; berry 
medium to large; skin firm, light red, resembling lona; 
flesh meaty, tender, juicy, sprightly, and rich. Ripens 
about with Concord; vine vigorous and hardy." 

Jessica • — A promising, new, early white grape, now 
being disseminated by D. W. Beadle, St. Catharines, 
Ont. 

Naomi. — A hybrid of Clinton and one of the Muscats, 
raised by Mr. Ricketts. Described as follows: ^^ Bunch 
large, shouldered; berry medium, roundish-oval, pale 
green, tinged with red in the sun ; flesh tender, juicy, 
melting, crisp. Ripens with Concord. " Said to be desirable 
for the amateur. 

IVoah. — Originated by Edward Wasserzieher, ISTauvoo, 
111., from seed of the Taylor. Described as follows: 
^^ Bunch medium, shouldered, compact; berry medium, 
round, pale yellow, with white bloom; pulpy, but sweet." 
Said to be a valuable grape at the West for wine, but not 
suitable for the table. 



GKAPES. 449 

Oneidai— Eaised by H. Thacker, Community, N. Y., 
and said to be a seedling of Merrimack (Kogers' No. 19). 
Bunch medium to large, berries large, red, becoming 
purple when fully ripe; skin thick; flesh somewhat pulpy, 
but rich and sweet. Eipens rather late; yine said to be 
strong and healthy. A promising variety. 

Oriental and Norwood. — Seedlings raised by J^. B. 
White, Norwood, Mass., and said to be hybrids. The 
former is described as resembling Catawba in color and 
flavor, but twice its size in bunch and berry, more sweet 
and tender, and much earlier. The latter is black, color 
of Black Hamburg, and is said to resemble that variety, 
and to be a superior market grape. 

Othello (Ae]N-old's No. 1).— Originated with Charles 
Arnold, Paris, Ontario. Bunch large, shouldered, com- 
pact; berry large; flesh firm, juicy, a little pulp; sprightly, 
very good; vine a moderate grower, and very productive. 
Ripens with Concord. 

Senasqua.— Raised by S. Underhill, Croton Point, N. 
Y. Bunch medium, compact ; berry medium, tender, 
juicy, breaking, sweet, and rich; vine vigorous and hardy. 
Ripens with Isabella. Fruit cracks sometimes, owing to 
its thin skin. A desirable garden variety. 

To Kalon. — An old variety, originated at Lansing- 
burgh, N. Y. Bunches large, shouldered; berries almost 
purplish-black, covered with bloom; flesh very sweet, 
buttery, very little pulp; vine vigorous, hardy, but ir- 
regularly productive; does not ripen evenly. A large, 
handsome grape, but variable in quality. 

Triumph. — A hybrid between Chasselas Musque and 
Concord. Grown by George W. Campbell, Delaware, 
Ohio. A large and handsome white grape, ripening late 
and suited specially to Southern latitudes. The season 
is too short here to permit of its maturing. 

Inion Village (Ojstaeio). — Origin Ohio. A very vig- 



450 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. 

orous grower, with immense foliage, productive. Buncli 
and berry very large; flesh free from hard pulp, tender, 
juicy, vinous, pleasant. Vine rather tender at the North; 
needs protection. 

Ver^ennes. — A chance seedling found in the garden of 
Mr. William E. Greene, Vergennes, Vt. Described as 
follows: " Clusters large; berries large, holding firmly to 
the stems; color light amber with purple bloom; flavor 
rich. Ripens with Hartford, and a very late keeper. Vine 
vigorous and healthy." 

Walter. — Origin Poughkeepsie, N. Y. Bunch me- 
dium, compact; berry medium, round, light red; flesh 
sweet, juicy, rich, vinous. Ripens shortly after Concord. 

WaTCrly.— One of Mr. Ricketts' hybrids, a seedling of 
the Clinton and one of the Muscats, and recommended 
by him as one of the best black grapes for amateur and 
family use. 

Wyoming Red (Wilmin-gtoi^ Red). — Raised by S. J. 
Parker, M. D., Ithaca, N. Y. An early red grape; flesh 
sweet, pulpy, and foxy. Vine healthy and hardy. May 
have value as a hardy, early grape. 

Miner's seedlings, as follows, have all proved worthless 
here: Antoinette, Augusta, Belinda, Carlotta, Eugenia, 
Harrison, Ida, Lexington, Linden, Rockingham, Vic- 
toria. The fruit drops badly and is of inferior quality. 

Select Foreign Grapes. 
class i. — black or purple grapes. 

Alicante (Black Palestine, etc.). — Bunch large, 
shouldered, compact; berries nearly round, black, with a 
little bloom; flesh tender, juicy, fine. An excellent late 
variety; hangs well. 

Black Frontignan (Muscat Noir, etc.).— Bunches 



GRA.PES. 451 

long; berries medium, round; flesh musky, rich; a good 
bearer. 

Black Hamburgh. — One of the most popular, because 
well known and tested. It is an admirable grape, and a 
general favorite; bunch large, often double shouldered; 
berries large, roundish, slightly oval; Juicy, very sugary, 
rich. 

Champion Hamburgh. — An excellent variety. Much 
like Black Hamburgh. 

Gros Colman* — Bunch large; berries very large and 
round; flesh juicy, sweet, but coarse, with a peculiar 
flavor; good when fully ripe; habit vigorous; hangs very 
late. 

Gros Maroc* — Bunch large, compact, shouldered; ber- 
ries large, round, black; flesh firm, sweet, vinous. A 
fine grower, and ripens well. 

Jura Muscat. — Bunch large, shouldered; berries above 
medium, oval; flesh rich, flavored with a fine Muscat 
aroma. 

Lady Downe's. — Bunches large, rather loose, shoul- 
dered; berries above medium, roundish-oval; black, with 
a thin bloom; flesh firm, sweet, and rich. One of the 
most valuable late varieties. Hangs a long time after 
ripening. 

Muscat Hamburgh.— Bunches large and long; berries 
large, roundish-oval; flesh juicy, rich, excellent; flavor 
of Muscat of Alexandria. Eequires good culture, but is 
of the highest quality. 

Muscat Lierval. — Bunch medium; berries round, me- 
dium size, deep purplish-black; flesh rich, sugary, with 
a sUght Muscat flavor. Very early. 

Muscat d'Aout. — Bunch and berries medium; round, 
inclining to oval; flesh very rich and juicy. A good 
early grape. 



453 SELECT VARIETIES OE FRUITS. 

Mrs. Pince's Black Muscat.— Bunches large, shoul- 
dered; berries medium size, oyal, purplish-black, thin 
bloom; flesh firm, sweet, vinous, with a Muscat flavor. 

Purple Constantia. — Bunches long and tapering, with 
small shoulders; berries large and round. A delicious 
grape; one of the best. Very early. 

Trentham Black. — Bunches large, tapering, and shoul- 
dered; berries oval; skin tough, jet black; flesh juicy, 
rich, sugary, and vinous. Valued highly for the cold 
vinery. 

CLASS II. — RED GRAPES. 

Grizzly Frontignan. — Bunches large; berries large, 
round; skin thick, pale brown, blended with pink and 
yellow; flesh very juicy, rich, musky, high-flavored. 

Rose Chasselas (Chasselas de Falloitx). — Bunch 
long and compact; berries large, round; skin pale red 
when fully ripe; flesh firm, juicy, sweet, and refreshing; 
vine a great bearer, well suited for pot culture. 

CLASS III. — ^WHITE GRAPES. 

Bowood Muscat. — Bunch large; berries very large, 
bright amber color; flesh rich, juicy, sweet, fine Muscat 
flavor. A superb grape; sets and ripens tolerably well 
in cold vineries. Supersedes to some extent the Muscat 
of Alexandria and Canon Hall Muscat. 

Buckland's Sweetwater.— Bunch large, shouldered; 
berries large, round, slightly oval; skin thin, amber color, 
with a thin white bloom; flesh juicy, sweet, delicious. 

Chasselas Musqu^. — Bunches medium size, long, loose; 
berries medium size, round; skin thin, yellowish white; 
flesh tender, very juicy, rich musky flavor. A delicious 
grape, highest flavored of the Chasselas. Sometimes 
cracks. Eequires severe thinning. 



GRAPES. 453 

Early Smyrna Frontignan. — Bunches medium, well 
formed, not shouldered; berries medium, round, bright 
amber; flesh juicy, melting, rich, and delicious. One of 
the earliest to ripen. Well suited to a cold vinery. 

Early Silver Frontignan. — Bunch medium to large, 
shouldered; berries large, roundish-oval, whitish silvery 
yellow; flesh melting, juicy, rich, agreeable. An early 
and productive sort. Very desirable. 

Foster's White Seedling. — Bunch large; berries above 
medium, roundish-oval, yellowish-amber; flesh tender, 
melting, sweet, and rich flavored. Superior to Royal 
Muscadine; ripening at the same time. 

General Delia ITIarmora. — A very fine grape, with a 
distinct Hamburgh flavor; one of the best. 

Golden Champion. — Bunches large, heavily shouldered; 
berries very large, obovate or ovate, to almost round; 
flesh firm, very juicy, tender, and rich. A superb variety. 

Golden Hamburgh. — Bunches large, loose, branching, 
and shouldered; berries large and oval; flesh tender and 
melting, very juicy, rich, sugary, and vinous. An excel- 
lent early grape; should not be allowed to hang long 
after it is ripe. 

Muscat St. Laurent. — Banch similar to Royal Musca- 
dine; berries small, oval; flesh very tender, melting, and 
juicy, with a high Muscat flavor; as hardy as a Sweet- 
water; very early. Well adapted for pot culture. 

Frimavis Frontignan.— Bunches large, long, shoul- 
dered; berries medium to large, round; amber-color; flesh 
rather solid, tender, juicy, sweet, and rich. One of the 
finest of the early Muscat Ohasselas family. 

Royal Muscadine (Ohasselas de Fon^taii^bleatj, 
etc.). — Bunches large and shouldered; berries large, 
greenish- white, becoming amber when fully ripe; flesh 



454 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. 

tender, rich, and delicious. An excellent old sort; still 
popular. 

Syrian. — Bunches enormously large, with broad shoul- 
ders; berries large, oval; skin thick, tawny yellow, or 
amber when mature; flesh firm and solid, moderately 
juicy and sweet; bunches weighing nineteen and a half 
pounds have been grown. 

White Frontignan. — Bunches medium, rather long, 
not shouldered; berries medium, round, dull white, or 
yellow, thin bloom; flesh tender, rich, perfumed, musky. 
An old and favorite variety, known under many names; 
it is so very hardy in its habit and uniform in productive- 
ness as to be widely grown and esteemed. 

Wliite Muscat of Alexandria. — Bunches very large, 
long, and loose, shouldered; berries large, oval, pale am- 
ber, with a thin, white bloom; flesh firm, moderately 
juicy, sweet, rich Muscat flavor. An old, well-known 
variety; requires a high temperature to mature it thor- 
oughly. It is from this that the Muscatel raisins are 
made. Succeeds well in the open air in California. 

Wliite Nice. — Bunch very large, shouldered, loose; ber- 
ries medium, roundish; greenish- white, becoming yellow- 
ish at maturity; flesh sweet, very good flavor. Bunches 
weighing eighteen pounds have been grown. It is very 
prolific. 

sub-tropical fruits. 

Section 16. — Figs. 

The culture of the Fig in all of the Southern States, 
California, and Utah, is as easy as that of the apple in 
the Middle States, and it promises to become one of the 
profitable branches of fruit culture. In the North they 
are easily grown in pots or tubs. 



FIGS. 455 

Adam. — Very large, turbinate, brownish-purple ; leaves 
very large. This is said to be the largest variety grown. 

Ang^liqiie (Ais^-gelica). — Medium, obovate ; yellow, 
dotted with long greenish -white specks ; flesh white, 
tinged with red at the center. An abundant bearer. 

Brown Ischia. — Medium, roundish-turbinate, light- 
brown or chestnut-colored ; flesh purple, sweet, and 
high-flavored. An excellent bearer. 

Brown Turkey. — Large, pyriform ; brownish-red, cov- 
ered with blue bloom ; flesh red and very luscious. Tree 
yery hardy and prolific. 

Brunswick. — Very large, pyriform, depressed at apex ; 
greenish-yellow, with violet-brown on the sun side ; flesh 
tinged with red at the center, ricli and excellent. Tree 
one of the hardiest, and a capital bearer. 

Early Violet. — Small, roundish, brownish-red, covered 
with a blue bloom ; flesh red, fine flavored. Tree hardy, 
and an abundant bearer. One of the best for pots and 
forcing. 

Pregussata. — Small, round, compressed at ends; pur- 
plish-brown, with pale spots in the sun ; flesh deep red, 
rich, and luscious. Hangs a long time. 

White Genoa. — Large, roundish-turbinate; skin thin, 
pale yellowish ; flesh red, excellent flavor. Only a mod- 
erate bearer. 

SECTIOIif 17. — OrAKGES — CiTEUS. 

The cultivation of the Orange is now attracting more 
attention in Florida and Southern California than it has 
ever done before. In some parts of Florida — the Indian 
Eiver country in particular — the crop rarely fails from 
any cause, and the fruit is of the finest quality. Where 
the soil is suitable, and proper care bestowed on the cul- 



456 SELECT VAKIETIES OF FRUITS. 

tivation, an orange grove must be quite as profitable as 
the best of our Northern orchards. 

The trees bear annually, coming into bearing at four 
or five years from bud or graft, and continue to improve 
from year to year for a long period They live to a great 
age, under favorable circumstances — trees are recorded 
that are some four hundred years old. 

The orange flourishes best in a rich calcareous soil. 
The most thrifty and fruitful plantations we saw were 
on shell lands, which occur frequently in Florida — a dark, 
rich loam, mixed with small shells. In the absence of 
shells, lime will, no doubt, be beneficial. The propaga- 
tion is similar to that of other fruit-trees. 

Stocks for grafting are either procured by raising seed- 
lings of the Bitter or Wild Orange, which can be worked 
at the age of one or two years from seed ; or plauts may 
in some places be procured from the woods. In many 
localities in Florida, the Wild Orange abounds in the 
woods, and seems to be as much at home as though it 
were indigenous. The trees are planted in groves at 
twenty to thirty feet apart. It takes ten or twelve years 
to bring the trees to a really remunerative condition. 

After the fourth or fifth year the crop will probably 
pay for cultivation. 

YAEIETIES. 

There are a great many varieties in cultivation, intro- 
duced from China, Spain, and other orange-growing 
countries, but that generally grown in Florida, which 
was no doubt introduced by the Spaniards, has no su- 
perior. It is known as the 

St. Aus^ustine Orange, a variety of the Sweet Orange, 
often sold in the markets under local names, such as 
"Mellonville," "Indian Eiver," etc. It is a large. 



ORANGES. 457 

handsome fruit, with moderately thin skin, somewhat 
rough ; pulp full of sweet, sprightly, delicious juice. It 
resembles the Cuba Orange, but seems to be larger and of 
better quality. 

The Havana. — This is the most common in our mar- 
kets, and best known. A large, excellent fruit ; quite 
similar to the preceding. 

The Maltese, or Malta Blood, has a thick and spongy 
rind ; pulp red and delicious, but sometimes a trace of 
bitterness. 

The Mandarin is a small, flattened fruit, thin rind, 
with a dark orange pulp ; juicy and rich. 

The Bergamot has small flowers and pear-shaped fruit ; 
very fragrant; the oil is much used by perfumers. 

The Variegated-Leaved is a variety with variegated 
foliage ; ornamental. 

The Shaddock {Citrus decumana) is a fruit of great 
size, striking in appearance, but not of value, except for 
confectionery. 

The Tangerine is small, sweet, and rich ; very pro- 
lific. One of the best for pot culture. 

The Otaheite is a small variety, a dwarf -growing kind ; 
blooms and bears abundantly when not over a foot high. 

The St. Michaels is a medium-sized fruit, pale yellow, 
with a thin rind, very delicious; the tree an abundant 
bearer. Chiefly grown in the Portuguese Island St. 
Michael. 

The Myrtle-Leaved (or Chinese) is a small-fruited 
variety, a dwarf tree ; more curious than profitable. 

Besides these are the Egg, Embiguo or Navel, Silver, 
Pernambuco, Exquisite, Du Roi, Excelsior, Prolific, 
20 



458 SELECT VARIETIES OF PRFITS. 

Dulcississima, and several others recently introduced, 
some of wMcli may prove to be valuable. 

LEMOH AKD LIME. 

The Lemon ( Citrus Limonium) is not as hardy as the 

orange, and is improved by being worked upon the bitter- 
orange stock. There is an Italian variety which is sweet. 

The Lime {Citrus Limetta). — Several varieties in cul- 
tivation. That commonly grown is a profuse bearer. 
Hedges are formed of it in the West Indies. It is grown 
extensively in California, and is very profitable. It is 
used for the same purposes as the lemon, and for pre- 
serves. 

THE POMEGRANATE. 

The Pomegranate is a native of China and the south 
of Europe, and its culture in our Southern States and 
California is perfectly successful. It is a low, deciduous 
tree, with long, narrow leaves. The fruit has a very re- 
freshing, sweet, rather acid pulp, and its singular and 
beautiful appearance makes it a welcome addition to the 
dessert. The tree is propagated like other fruit trees, 
by seeds, layers, cuttings, grafting, etc., and grows 
readily in any ordinary good garden soil. 

The varieties known as the best are: the Sweet-fruited, 
with sweet and juicy pulp; the Suh-acid- fruited, which is 
the variety commonly grown in gardens; the Violet, which 
is a large and late variety, and the Wild or Acid-fruited, 
with a sharp acid flavor. 

The Pomegranate is also a highly ornamental shrub, 
and its varieties with double red and double white flowers 
are especially attractive and desirable. 



ALMONDS. 459 

THE PAWrAW OK CUSTARD APPLE. 

The Custard Apple, a variety of which, Asimlna triloha, 
commonly called Pawpaw, is a native of Kentucky, 
Southern Ohio, etc. It is a small, deciduous tree, easily 
propagated by seeds or grafting. 

The Custard Apple of Peru and other tropical coun- 
tries (Ationa Cherimolia) is described as a superior fruit, 
and highly esteemed for the dessert. The A. palustris, 
A. squamosa, and A. muricata are esteemed West India 
fruits. 

fourth diyision. — almonds, chestnuts, eilberts, 
and walnuts. 

Section 18. — Almonds. 

Sweet Hard-shell. — This is a hardy and productive 
variety, succeeding well in the climate of Western New 
York, and still further North. Nut very large, with a 
hard shell and a large, sweet kernel; ripe here about the 
first of October. The tree is very vigorous, has smooth, 
glaucous leaves, and when in bloom in the spring is more 
brilliant and showy than any other fruit tree. 

Soft Sweet-shell, Ladies' Thin-shell, etc.— This is ^^e 
almond of the shops, of which such immense quantities 
are annually imported from abroad. It and all its sub- 
varieties, so far as we know, are too tender for our North- 
ern climate, unless carefully grown on a wall or trellis, 
and protected. South of Virginia, we believe, it succeeds 
well; and so beautiful a tree, and so estimable a fruit, de- 
serve the attention of all fruit-growers. Very succesfully 
grown in California. 

The Bitter Almond.— This is hardy and productive; 
nut similar to the first-named in appearance, but bitter, 



460 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. 

and only useful in confectionery or medicino. Its chief 
product is the oil of bitter almonds of the druggists, 
which contains prussic acid. 

Sectioi!^ 19. — Ohestkuts. 

The American or Common Chestnut Is well known as 
one of our most beautiful forest-trees. It is seldom 
grown as a fruit tree, although the fruit is highly es- 
teemed. It should have a place in all large collections 
of standard fruit trees. It reproduces itself from seed. 

The Dwarf Chestnut, or Chinquapin, is a small tree, 
eight or ten feet high, and very prolific, but the nuts are 
small. It grows spontaneously in Maryland, Virginia, 
and southward. 

The Spanish Chestnut or Marron, — This is the large, 
sweet nut, as large as a horse chestnut, imported from 
abroad. There are many varieties cultivated in France 
and England, but that designated by the French as 
'' Marron de Lyon,^^ i& the best. It is propagated by 
grafting on the common sorts. It is not reproduced 
truly from seed, but its seedlings produce large and fine 
fruits. It bears and ripens well as far north as Eochester. 
It bears the second year from the graft and the fourth 
from seed. 

Section" 20. — Filberts. 

1. Cosford. — This is an improved variety of the Eng- 
lish hazel-nut, very prolific, nut large, oblong, or oval; 
shell thin, and kernel fine flavored. 

2. Cohurg. — Large and fine, and a most abundant 
bearer. 

3. Dwarf Prolific. — One of the most prolific bearers, 
nut rather small; kernel good. 



WALN'UTS. 4G1 

4. Frizzled. — Eemarkable for its curious frizzled husk, 
a good bearer, and one of the finest flavored. 

5. Rcd-Skioned. — One of the old standard sorts of the 
English growers, distinguished by the bright red or crim- 
son skin of the kernel; medium size, egg-shaped, shell 
thick, flavor good. 

6. White. — This is also an old standard sort; the ker- 
nel is a yellowish white. Both this and the preceding 
have long husks. 

Section 21. — ^Walkuts. 

The English Walnut or Madeira Nut {Juglans regia), — 
A native of Persia. A lofty, spreading tree, with pin- 
nated leaves like the butternut, and' the fruit nearly as 
large. Great quantities are annually imported and sold 
in the fruit shops. 

The tree is tender while young, the ends of the young 
shoots being injured in winter at the ]S"orth, but as it 
grows older, it becomes hardier. It is produced from 
seed or by grafting. There are many varieties of it cul- 
tivated abroad, few of which have yet been introduced 
here, on account of the little attention given to this class 
of fruits. Is now being extensively planted in California, 
where it succeeds well.- 

The Dwarf Prolifie Walnut {Juglans prmparturiens) 
is a French variety, most desirable for the garden. It 
bears at the age of three years from the seed, and often 
at the height of two or three feet. 

Our native sorts, the Black Walnut (Juglans nigra), 
the Butternut {Juglans cinerea), the Hickory-Nut 
( Carya), and its varieties, are all well-known trees that 
deserve much more attention than they receive, consid- 
ering the value of their timber as well as their fruit. 



CHAPTER n. 

GATHEEING, PACKING, TEANSPOETATION, AND PEESEEVA- 
TION OF PEUITS. 

This is a brancli of the general subject of fruit culture 
and management that requires the most careful attention ; 
for it is quite useless to take pains in producing fine fruits, 
without taking equal pains in gathering, preserving, and 
sending them to the table or the market in a sound, 
sightly, and proper condition. Very few fruit-growers 
seem to appreciate this part of their business. Fruit- 
dealers at home and abroad complain of the careless and 
slovenly manner in which our fruits are gathered, packed, 
and presented in the market, and would gladly pay a dou- 
ble price for them in a better condition. The first con- 
sideration is : 

The period of maturity at which fruits should he 
gathered. — The stone fruits generally are allowed to reach 
perfect maturity, or within four or five days of it, on the 
tree. 

In moist, cool seasons, particularly, they are benefited 
by being gathered a few days before maturity, and allow- 
ed to ripen in a dry, warm room ; they part with the 
water contained in their juices, which thus become better 
elaborated and more sugary and high-flavored. 

Summer Pears^ too, on the same principle, require to 
be gathered, as a general thing, from a week to a fort- 
ies 



GATHEIIING FRUITS, ETC. 463 

night before their maturity. Sweet varieties, and such as 
are inclined to become mealy ^ are entirely worthless when 
ripened on the tree, and many very excellent varieties 
are condemned on this account. Such as these should be 
gathered the moment the skin begins to change color in 
the least degree. 

Summer Apples^ too, and especially those inclined to 
m,ealiness^ should be picked early ; as soon as the skin 
begins to change color, otherwise they part with their 
juices, and become worthless. Ripeness is indicated by 
the seeds turning dark-colored, and by the stem parting 
readily from the tree when it is lifted upwards. 

Winter Apjyles and Pears should be allowed to remain 
on the trees as long as vegetation is active, or until frosts 
are apprehended. 

Grapes^ berries, etc.^ are allowed to attain perfect 
maturity before being gathered. 

Chestnuts, Filberts, etc., are not gathered until they be- 
gin to fall from the tree. 

Mode of Gathering. — ^Unless it be a few specimens 
wanted for immediate use, which may be taken with some 
of the contrivances mentioned under the head of imple- 
ments, all fruits should be gathered by the hand. The 
branch to be gathered from should be taken in one hand, 
and the fruits carefully taken off, one by one, with the other, 
with their stems attached. (For fruits neither keep so well, 
nor look so well, without the stems.) They are then laid 
carefully in single layers in broad, shallow baskets, the bot- 
toms of which should be covered with paper or moss, to 
prevent bruises. Peaches and other soft fruits should be 
pressed as lightly as possible, for anything like a squeeze 
is certainly followed by decay in the form of a brown 
spot, and this is the reason why it is so exceedingly diffi- 
cult to find a perfectly sound and at the same time ripe 
peach in our markets. 



464: GATHEKING FEUITS, ETC. 

When more than one layer of fruit is laid in the same 
basket, some soft paper, dry moss, hay, or other material, 
ought to separate them, for it is difficult to place one layer 
immediately upon another, and especially if the fruits are 
approaching maturity, without bruising them more or less. 
Fruit should only be gathered in dry weather, and in the 
dry time of the day. 

Disposition of the Fruits after gathering. — When they 
are thus in the baskets, if summer fruits, they are either 
carried into the fruit-room and arranged on shelves or 
tables in thin layers, or they are carefully transferred, one 
by one, into market-baskets and carried to market on an 
easy spring wagon, if not by steamboat or railroad, by 
which jarring or jolting will be avoided. Treated in this 
manner, they will be in a marketable condition, and one 
basket will sell for as much as four, carelessly picked, 
thrown into baskets, and tumbled out of them into a barrel 
or wagon-box. 

Ripe fruits may be kept in good condition for a consid- 
erable period of time, in an ice-house, or in some of the 
recently-invented fruit-preservers, and even in very cool, 
dry cellars. The vessels in which they are deposited 
should be perfectly clean, that no unpleasant flavor may 
be imparted to them. Peaches have been sent to the East 
Indies, by being properly packed in ice ; and it may be 
that methods of packing and preserving will, before long, 
be discovered, that will give us access to the markets of 
other countries, even for our perishable summer fruits. 
We have seen Seckel pears in a very good state of preser- 
vation in January. The science of ripening and preserving 
fruits is but in its infancy, and horticultural societies 
that have the means will be doing a great public service 
by offering liberal premiums that will incite to experiment 
on the subject. 

Winter Fruits intended for long keeping are transferred 



GATHERING FKUITS, ETC. 4G5 

by hand from the baskets in which they are gathered on 
tlie tree, into larger ones in which they can be carried into 
a dry, cool room, where they are laid in heaps, which may 
be three or four deep, where they may remain for a couple 
of weeks, during which time they will have parted with 
considerable moisture and be quite dry. They will then 
be fit for packing. 

Clean, new barrels should be procured, and the fruits 
should be carefully assorted. For shipping to distant or 
foreign markets, the best only should be selected ; all 
bruised, wormy, knotty specimens being laid aside for 
home consumption. They are then placed in the barrels, 
by hand, arranged regularly in layers, so that no spaces 
will exist, by which the fruits may shift, roll, or knock 
against one another. The barrels are then tightly headed 
up, so that the head presses firmly on the fruits; some 
people recommend placing a layer of clean moss or soft 
paper, both on the bottom and top of the barrel ; but this 
is not necessary where the packing and heading are per- 
formed carefully. After packing, the barrels must be 
sent to market in such a manner as never to be jolted or 
rolled, any more than they would be on men's shoulders, 
or an easy spring wagon or sled, or by a water convey- 
ance. 

On shipboard, the barrels should be placed in the coolest 
and dryest place. It is perfectly idle to gather, pack, or 
ship fruits in any other way than this to foreign markets. 
American apples are frequently sold in Liverpool at auction 
for half what they would have sold for in New- York, on 
account of their bad condition. I saw this in 1849, when 
Newtown pippins were selling at twelve and a half cents 
apiece in the fruit-shops. 

Winter fruits for home consumption should be care- 
fully assorted, keeping the best, the poorest, the sound, 
the bruised, and the earlier and later ripening varieties 
all separate ; when sound and bruised, early and late, are 



463 PACKING, MAEKING, SHIPPING, ETC. 

all thrown together promiscuously, they cannot fail to 
decay speedily and to lose their flavor; for two or three 
decaying apples in a heap or barrel will taint the flavor 
of all, and hasten the decay of those around them. This 
arrangement into grades and classes is, therefore, absolutely 
necessary even for the fruits needed for family use; and 
when they are so arranged, the sound, long-keepers are put 
into clean, new barrels, carefully, by hand, and the barrels 
headed up tightly and placed in a cool, dry cellar or fruit- 
room. The bruised ones can be laid in a place by them- 
selves for immediate use. Every barrel, when packed, 
should be marked. 

Winter Pears^ as a general thing, require to be brought 
into a warm temperature one or two weeks before they 
are wanted for table use. All the baking and stewing, 
and even many of the table varieties, may be treated ex- 
actly like appples. 

PACKING, MARKING, SHIPPING, ETC. 

In all that relates to the labor of preparing fruits for 
market, great care is requisite, and we cannot do bet- 
ter than to copy the following very concise and practical 
directions prepared by a large and experienced shipping- 
house from long observance of the requisites needed for 
success : 

" Packing. — In packing Apples, Pears, Berries, etc., do 
not face your fruit more than it will bear, for if a buyer is 
once deceived in buying a mark of fruit, he will discount 
the mark in buying again, or refuse to buy it at all ; while if 
it runs uniform^ and gives satisfaction, it is eagerly sought 
after, and the seller can get increased price by the compe- 
tition. Also bear in mind that good fruit, etc., well put 
up and reaching here in good order, always sells, even 
when the market is glutted ; while fruit, etc., poorly put 



PACKING, MARKING, SHIPPING, ETC. 467 

up, can sometimes be scarcely given away, thereby caus- 
ing dissatisfaction to the shipper on account of poor re- 
turns, and disgust to the receiver, because they have had 
to sacrifice it, when a little pains taken with the article 
would haA'e caused a different result. Nothing is gained 
in packing fruity etc. (which is sold by the package), in 
short packages, that is for barrels to be less than flour-bar- 
rel size, or baskets to hold twelve or fourteen quarts, 
when they should hold half a bushel, or in boxes less than 
measure intended. If fruit is too ripe or soft to pack in 
full-size packages, pack in those of half or even quarter- 
size, but by all means give full measure, and try to pack 
your packages so tight that, upon arrival, they will open 
full and not look as though there was not enough of the 
article to fill them. Besides fruit,' etc., will come a longer 
distance and arrive in far better order, by being packed 
full, even to slight jamming, than if packed loose. With 
the rough and severe handling, that all packages get more 
or less, the articles are very likely to be badly bruised in 
coming. All packages should be neat and clean ; and bar- 
rels, boxes, and crates sold with the articles should, if pos- 
sible, be new, as the package helps show the contents to 
better advantage, and will sell the better from the evident 
pains bestowed upon it. 

'^Marking. — Always mark each package plainly and 
neat, with the name or initials of consignor, and the net 
weight or count of contents of each. 

''^Shipping. — All perishable fruits, such as peaches, plums, 
berries, etc., should be sent by the quickest conveyance. 
Receipts should be taken from transportation compa- 
nies. Advices, with a full and correct invoice, should be 
sent by mail. A duplicate invoice should be put in one 
of the packages, marked BiU. There is nothing so vexa- 
tious to a commission house, as the receipt of consign- 
ments not properly or distinctly marked, and no advices of 
the same. 



468 PACKING, MARKING, SHIPPING, ETC. 

^' Handling. — All fruit, of whatever kind, should be han- 
dled with the greatest care, so as not to bruise it, even 
slightly, as oftentimes where a little bruise does not show 
when fruit is packed, in ten or twelve hours afterwards 
the article is half, if not totally destroyed, causing the 
fruit in contact with it to also decay, and injuring the sale 
of the same, as buyers will discount imperfect or decayed 
fruit. Great care should also be taken in handling the 
packages after fruit is packed, as a blow or fall will pene- 
trate through the entire package, bruising the contents 
oftentimes badly. 

^^ Apples. — Assort those uniform in size and quality, pack 
in clean barrels ; take out one head, commence packing by 
placing a tier of apples with their ends to the closed head 
of the barrel, then fill up without bruising the fruit, shake 
down thoroughly, and fill the barrel so full that the head 
must be pressed in with a lever, flattening the last tier of 
apples, and even starting the juice. Nail the head and 
hoops with four-penny nails, turn the barrel over, and on 
the head not opened mark plainly the variety in each bar- 
rel. Apples packed in this way show a fine, handsome 
face when opened. 

" Pears. — This delicate fruit must be packed and shipped 
when it is fully matured and before it has ripened, so as to 
insure arrival in good order. Pears are not as elastic as 
apples. Line the sides, top, and bottom of the barrel or 
package with straw-paper, to prevent the fruit being 
stained by the wood of the barrel or package. Assort and 
pack same as apples, except placing the blossom-end of 
the fruit upon the end not opened. When the barrel is 
full, press the head in firmly without starting the juice. 
Summer Pears, if over two days on the way, should be 
ventilated, otherwise the package should be tight, as the 
fruit will ripen more uniformly and hold its color 
better." 

Packing Pears for Distant Markets. — ^The French send 



PACKING, MARKING, SHIPPIl^TG, ETC. 469 

away more pears to foreign markets ilian any other peo- 
ple. They pack them in small boxes, either round or 
square, such as a man can carry easily in his hands. 
Our own practice is to wrap each fruit in soft paper, 
and then pack so tightly as to prevent all motion in 
bushel and half -bushel boxes. 

They cover the bottom and sides with veiy dry moss 
or soft, dry paper, well calculated to absorb moisture. 
They then wrap each fruit in the dry, soft paper, and lay 
them in layers, the largest and least mature in the bottom, 
and fill all the interstices with dry moss or paper. I have 
seen these boxes opened in London, in the finest con- 
dition, after being packed a month. They are so tightly 
packed that the slightest movement cannot take place 
among them, and yet no one presses upon another. The 
dry moss and paper that separate them, absorb any mois- 
ture ; and if one decays, it does not affect others. 

Some of the Paris confectioners and restaurant-keepers 
preserve fruits very successfully in barrels, packed in lay- 
ers, and the interstices filled up with powdered charcoal. 
The barrels are kept in a dry, cool place, about forty 
degrees, where they are not subjected to changes of tem- 
perature. Apples, pears, grapes, almonds, nuts, and pota- 
toes', are all preserved in this manner. 

''''Peaches. — Pack in stave baskets holding half of a 
bushel ; they are firmer than splint baskets, and protect 
the fruit better. Sort uniform as to size and quality. Fill 
your baskets rounding full. Tie a cover over the top of 
the basket, so that the fruit w^ill not be liable to shake. Or 
they can be packed in slat crates holding a bushel, with a 
partition across the crate at an equal distance from each end. 

" Quinces. — Sort to run uniform, pack in barrel same as 
apples, except that the blossom end of the fruit should be 
placed to the end not opened. When the barrel is full, 
press in head harder than for pears, but not as tight as 
apples. 



470 PACKIN^G, MARKING, SHIPPING, ETC. 

" Strawberries. — All large berries should be packed in 
quart boxes or baskets, twenty-four or thirty to the crate. 
In filling the boxes, put in berries of uniform size, reject- 
ing all soft ones ; face the box with nice fruit, and fill it 
rounding full, so that when packed in crates the upper box 
will slightly press the fruit in the lower box. The small 
varieties of strawberries can be packed in a little larger 
crate, or packed in half-bushel drawers, four drawers to a 
stand. 

" Raspberries should be packed in a quart box or 
basket. The fruit should be carefully picked, boxes well 
filled, and packed in crates of twenty-four and thirty 
quarts. 

" Currants can be packed in half-bushel or bushel 
drawers, and equally as well in baskets ; and when filled 
should be well rounded. 

*' Cherries. — Same as currants ; but think a clean half- 
bushel basket preferable, with a paper or cloth cover. 
They should be well packed. 

" Blackberries.— y2iQk in boxes holding a quart or pint 
— twenty-four or thirty-six quarts to a crate. Fill and sort 
the same as strawberries. When the crate is full, place a 
sheet of straw-paper over the upper row of boxes, so that 
it will exclude the air and help retain the color of the fruit. 

" Flums. — The fancy kinds should be packed in small 
boxes or fancy baskets; while the common kinds can be 
packed in half-bushel or bushel boxes or baskets, the same 
as peaches." They sell best in small packages. 

Crapes., when fully ripe, should be taken, a single 
cluster at a time, and all imperfect berries cut from the 
bunch. They can be packed in three, five, six, ten, or twelve- 
pound boxes ; or if going but a short distance, in clean 
baskets of ten to twenty pounds, and covered with a 
cloth. In packing, take off the cover of the box, line the 
inside with thin white paper, commence filling with whole 
bunches, pack close as possible without jamming, 611 up 



PACKING, MAKKING, SHIPPING, ETC. 471 

with bunches, parts of bunches, then single grapes, 
but with a stem, so that all space is occupied, and the 
fruit projects from the top, fronL a quarter to half 
an inch. Turn over the paper used in lining, nail the 
cover-points down, reverse the box, and paste a label, stat- 
ing the variety of the grape, on the cover that was not 
opened. 

Fruit-Rooms. — A fruit-room is a structure set apart 
exclusively for the preservation of fruit. Its great requi- 
sites are, perfect security from moisture or dampness, ex- 
clusion from light, and a uniform temperature. If these 
points are obtained, no matter where, how, or of what 
material the fruit-room be constructed. It may be built 
of stone, brick, clay, or wood, above or below ground, as 
circumstances or taste may dictate. 

A good, dry, and cool cellar is as good a place for 
keeping fruit as can be provided ; but the great objection 
to cellars used for other purposes is, that currents of air 
are frequently admitted, and too much light, by which the 
temperature is changed, decay promoted, or the fruits dried 
and shriveled. There are, also, other objects that un- 
avoidably saturate the air more or less with moisture. 

Where a fruit-room is built on the surface of the ground, 
it should be on the ice-house principle of double walls and 
doors, to prevent access of either heat or cold from with- 
out. A good cellar or cave, built in a dry, sandy, or 
gravelly bank, or side-hill, will answer every purpose. 
The walls may be of stone, brick, or timber ; the roof should 
be thick, with a slope sufficient to throw off water freely, 
and the earth about should also be so graded, that water 
will flow away as fast as it falls. Provision may be made 
for lighting and ventilating in the roof, and the door or 
doors should be double. 

The interior should be fitted up with shelves and bins, 
with places for barrels or other articles, in which fruits 
are packed. 



472 PACKING, MARKIl^G, SHIPPING, ETC. 

A clieap and effective fruit-house lias long been a desid- 
eiatum, and many patents have been obtained. The ma- 
jority of them, however, have proved expensive failures. 
The best house we have seen was erected several years 
ago by a firm in Philadelphia, Pa. , from whose circular 
we extract the following: 

"When the purity of the atmosphere is obtained by 
excessive ventilation, not only is the temperature of the 
apartment increased, but the ice is melted with great 
rapidity. To dry the atmosphere by the use of absorb- 
ents is also a very expensive and troublesome process. 

*' In a room cooled to 38° Fahrenheit, and kept perfect- 
ly dry, the decomposition of fruit is very slow. Fruit 
may be kept sound and good for three or four months, or 
longer. The cooler the house, the drier it will naturally 
become, but when the natural tendency is aided by philo- 
sophical construction, it will be perceived that the object 
may be more easily accomplished. 

" Decomposing organic matter will of course throw off, 
and, in fact, generate moisture ; but when the process of 
decomposition is reduced to the lowest point, or suspended 
altogether, then less moisture will be present. 

" The foul gases, or odors, emanating from decaying 
vegetables being volatile, are easily removed ; but the 
removal of moisture, or aqueous vapor, is more difficult. 

" The last difficulty — the removal of moisture, without the 
use of artificial absorbents — has been overcome by this in- 
vention, in the most perfect manner, without any ex- 
pensive machinery, or any daily cost in working the house. 

" The apparatus can be applied to large or small rooms, 
or even closets and refrigerators, with equal ease and suc- 
cess ; and from the very nature of things, being based 
upon the strictest natural laws, is the only plan that can 
produce the desired results, without the use of absorbents 
or driers. 

" Fruit, in a state of moist decay, on being put into the 



PACKING, MARKING, SHIPPING, ETC. 473 

fruit-room, directly becomes dried to such a degree that 
all the moisture on the decaying spots disappears, and the 
spots themselves become covered with a dried pellicle- 
like court-plaster, and the rot ceases. The drying process, 
however, is not such as to produce shriveling in apples or 
pears, for the reason that only the external moisture is 
removed, and the interior flesh of the fruit remains un- 
changed. 

" In this connection may be demonstrated the fallacy of 
the common idea that fruit just gathered from the tree 
must undergo a process of siceating before it is fit to be put 
into the cellar or fruit-room. The simple truth is, that fruit 
which has been cooled by any means will always sweat 
when it is brought into a warm atmosphere, not because 
the juice passes out of it, but because the moisture in hot 
air always condenses on a cold surface. On the contrary, 
fruit taken from the tree, on a warm day, and put imme- 
diately into a cold fruit-room, 7iever siceats. The process 
of sweating in apples and pears may be repeated a hun- 
dred times by cooling the fruit in a cellar, and then bring- 
ing them suddenly into a hot room. A cold apple will 
always sweat in hot air. 

" The ordinary working temperature obtained by means 
of ice, is about 38° to 40° Fahrenheit. But by the use of 
suitable apparatus, with salt and crushed ice, as in the ice- 
cream freezer, a room may be cooled below the freezing 
point." 

Attention to Fruits in the Cellar or Fruit-room* — The 
decay of fruits is caused either by bruises or by a fungus, 
or species of mildew, that increases rapidly and attacks 
all the sound fruits within its reach. It is, therefore, 
necessary to examine fruits frequently, and remove all 
that show any symptoms of decay, before they have 
either affected others or tainted the atmosphere of the 
room. 



474 DISEASES A2sD IKSECTS. 

CHAPTER ni. 

DISEASES AND INSECTS. 

Section 1. — Diseases. 

The Fire -Blight of the Fear^ Apple, and Quince. — 
This is one of the most formidable diseases to which fruit- 
trees are liable. Whether it is caused by the sun, the 
atmosphere, or an insect, remains in doubt, some cases 
favoring one opinion, some another. It attacks the trees 
at different periods of the growing season, from June to 
September, and generally in the young parts first ; the 
leaves flag, the sap becomes thick and brown, oozing out 
in globules through the bark, and emitting a very dis- 
agreeable odor, and the diseased branch or part turns 
black, as if it were burned by fire. When the pear-tree 
is attacked it is difficult to save it, the disease spreads so 
rapidly. In the ap})le and quince it is less fatal, rarely 
killing more than a portion of the tree even if left to its 
own course. The only remedy is, to cut away instantly 
the blighted parts, into the sound wood, where there is 
not the slightest trace of the disease, and burn them up 
immediately. 

It is thought by some that young trees growing very 
rapidly are more subject to it than older trees growing 
slowly ; and that warm sunshine, with a sultry atmosphere 
after rain, is apt to be followed by much blight. We have 
always regarded the cases favoring such an opinion as 
accidental. 

Twig Flight. — This attacks the young shoots of the 
current season's growth on apple, pear, quince, mountain 
ash, etc., causing them to suddenly wither and become 



DISEASES. 475 

brown at early or mid-summer. The cause is unknown 
and the injury is not materially great. The remedy is in 
cutting away at the first appearance. It is much more 
abundant in some years than in others. 

Apple Blight. — This is a disease of serious character, 
inasmuch as it invades and destroys many orchards. Like 
the dreaded fire-blight of the pear, there seems no pre- 
ventive. It attacks a whole branch or limb, and some- 
times one quarter to one half of the top is destroyed, ere 
to the common observer it is apparent. No remedy is 
known except to cut away and destroy the memento of 
one's losses. 

Bitter Rot, — This disease, by some attributed to want 
of appropriate nourishment to the tree, and by others to a 
fungous growth, is as yet but little understood. High 
culture, the application of lime to the soil, etc., are 
recommended as remedies. 

Bust^ or Fungus^ Mildew^ and Cracking.— This disease is 
more general in the pear than the apple, and it is more 
apparent and destructive on some varieties than upon 
others ; yet these varieties have not been so closely ob- 
served and noted as to make it safe to enumerate them. 
Suflice it that varieties longest in cultivation, most pro- 
ductive, and in confined situations, are most liable to It. 
It appears to be a fungous growth, presenting, when 
viewed by the microscope, a mossy, spongy character, 
occupying the skin, so as to prevent the development of 
its tissues, and results in checking the growth at that point, 
thus creating a deformity. When the malady spreads, 
as it sometimes does, over a half or more of the fruit, it 
tends to a deeper nature, and causes the fruit to crack 
open, and become corky and worthless. 



476 DISEASES AND INSECTS. 

Pear-leaf Slight. — This disease has ah'eady been al- 
luded to in treating of pear seedlings. It is a sort of 
rust that appears on the leaves in July or August, first as 
small brown spots ; these spread rapidly over the leaves 
until they are completely dried up and growth stopped. 
It appears in a certain spot as a center, from which it 
spreads. Whether it be an insect, a fungus, or some at- 
mospherical cause that produces this blight, is unknown. 
Certain cases favor one or other of these opinions. More 
minute investigations are wanted on the subject. 

To avoid its evil effects as far as possible, the great 
point is, to get a rapid, vigorous growth, before mid-sum- 
mer, when it usually appears. Seedlings grown in new 
soils do not appear to be so much affected as in old. 
Where stocks are affected very early in the season, they 
become almost worthless, on account of the feebleness 
produced in both stem and roots by such an untimely and 
unnatural check. Some special applications, such as coal 
cinders, iron filings, copperas, etc., have been suggested, 
but no evidence has yet been produced of their efficacy. 

The Gum in Stone Fruits. — The cherry, plum, apricot, 
and peach are all more or less subject to this malady. 
The cherry is particularly liable to it in the West. It is 
produced by different causes, such as a wet soil, severe 
pruning, pruning at an improper time, violent changes of 
temperature, etCc The gumming of the Cherry in the 
West is considered by some to be owing in a great mea- 
sure to the bark not yielding naturally to the growth of 
the wood, and hence they practise longitudinal incisions 
on it. The cherry-tree has a very powerful bark, and in 
some cases it may not yield naturally to the expansion or 
growth of the wood. We have seen about a foot of the 
trunk of a cherry-tree several inches smaller than the 
parts both above and below it. The bark was as smooth 
as glass on it, the first rind being unbroken, whilst on the 
large parts this was quite rough. This was a case arising 



DISEASES. 477 

from the obstinacy of the bark, and could only b<., 
remedied by longitudinal incisions on the small part. 

It is most probable that the extent and severity of this 
disease in the West is owing to violent changes from a 
hard frost to a bright sun and rapid thaw, by which the 
sap becomes deranged, and accumulates in masses. Trees 
that are branched near the ground will be less likely to 
suffer than those with tall, bare trunks. Where it has 
made some progress in any tree, pare off the diseased 
bark, clean off all the gum, and let the surface dry up ; 
then apply a plaster of grafting composition, or a solution 
of gum shellac in alcohol, put on with a brush. 

When the stone fruits are pruned severely in the spring, 
the sap does not find sufficient vent ; it accumulates in 
masses and bursts the bark. This fact should always be 
kept in view in pruning, and a sufficient supply of active 
buds be left to absorb the sap. 

The Yellows in the Peach. — This is supposed to arise 
from negligent cultivation. It exhibits itself in a yellow, 
sickly foliage, feeble shoots, and small fruits prematurely 
ripened. It is said to be contagious. Trees exhibiting 
these symptoms should instantly be destroyed. To avoid 
it, propagate only from trees in perfect health and vigor. 

Mildew on the Peach. — The young shoots, leaves, and 
even the fruit of certain varieties, and especially the 
varieties which are without glands on their leaves, are 
attacked by this. The only remedies are, to give the 
trees a dry, good soil, that will keep them in a vigorous 
condition, and to syringe freely twice a day when it 
begins to appear. The gooseberry suffers seriously from 
the mildew, owing mainly to the heat of our summers. In 
Northern New York, in Maine, Vermont, and Lower 
Canada, the finest large English varieties are brought to 
greater perfection than in warmer districts, and with good 
culture almost come up to the English standard. In a 
cold, damp-bottomed soil at Toronto, almost on a level 



478 DISEASES Ai^-D INSECTS. 

with Lake Ontario, fine crops are produced with compara- 
tively little difficulty from mildew or rust. This would 
indicate as a remedy, a cool soil and situation, and mulch- 
ing the roots to keep them cool. The trees should be 
renewed every three or four years, and they should be kept 
vigorous by liberal manuring and good culture. 

Rot and Mildew of the Grape. — Both the rot and mil- 
dew on the grape have been attributed to various causes, 
none of which seems to prove reliable. Both diseases 
seem to come and go with seasons, now here and there 
excessive upon one variety one season, and another the 
next, evidently to us bearing the impress that it is 
miasmatic or sporadic, and developed according to the 
atmosphere and Condition of the vine as regards health 
and vigor. The preventive seems to be in the free use 
of sulphur, by dusting the vines and keeping the influence 
of the sulphur thereon, from the time the seed is 
formed until the coloring is at least half-completed. 

The Plum-tree Wart or Black-Knot. — The cause of this 
disease is still a matter of doubt and uncertainty. Some 
hold to the opinion that it is a gall produced by an insect, 
others that it is of fungous origin. The latter opinion is 
entitled to the greatest weight. We do not believe that 
insects have any agency whatever in producing this dis- 
ease. Cions should never be taken from a diseased tree. 

Cutting out the diseased branch clean to the sound 
wood, the moment the knots begin to appear, is an 
effectual remedy, and they should all be burnt up. We 
have saved trees six inches in diameter, that were af- 
fected on the trunk so seriously, that one third of its 
thickness had to be removed to get below the disease. 
After it was cut out, we applied a plaster of grafting 
composition, covered it with a cloth, and in two years 
it M^as all healed over and sound. 

Plum-trees are so neglected in the country, that mul- 
titudes of them are now standing literally loaded with 



INSECTS. 479 

these warts — not even an inch of any branch free from 
them, the most disgusting objects in the way of fruit 
trees that can possibly be imagined. 

The Curl of the Leaf in the Teach.— T\As> disease causes 
the leaves to assume a reddish color, to become thick, 
curled, and deformed, and finally to perish. It is supposed 
by many to be caused by insects ; but it is really induced 
by a sudden change of weather. In proof of this we may 
adduce the fact that peach-trees under glass are never 
affected with this disease; and the more sheltered the 
position is, the less is the injury. 

A number of warm days, that cause the expansion of 
the young leaves, followed by a cold rainy day, is almost 
sure to produce it to some extent; and the more severe 
and protracted the cold, the more extensive and fatal it is. 
The peach-trees in Western New York suffered more from 
this in 1849-50 than in the ten years previous, owing to a 
protracted cold time in each season after the young tender 
leaves had expanded. In both these seasons the check was 
so severe, as not only to produce this disease in its w^orst 
form, but the gum also ; for the sap not being absorbed 
by the leaves, became stagnant, sour, and corroded, and 
burst the bark. Trees in sheltered gardens suffer less than 
those in exposed orchards. There is no possible way of 
guarding against this ; and the only remedy known to us 
is, to pick off the diseased leaves the moment the weather 
changes, that new healthy ones may be produced. 

Section 2. — ^The Principal Insects injurious to 
Fruit Trees. 

Aphis or Plant-Ziouse. — There are several kinds of 
these. The two most troublesome to fruit trees are the 
green and black, small soft insects that appear suddenly 
in immense quantities on the young shoots of the trees, 
suck their juices, and consequently arrest their growth. 



480 DISEASES Aiq-D Iiq SECTS. 

The apple, pear, and cherry are especially infested with 
them. They multiply with wonderful rapidity. It is said 
that one individual in five generations might be the pro- 
genitor of six thousand millions. Were it not that they 
are easily destroyed, they would present an obstacle almost 
insuperable in the propagation and culture of trees. 

There are many ways of accomplishing their destruc- 
tion. Our plan is to prepare a barrel of tobacco juice, 
by steeping stems for several days until the juice is a 
dark brown, like strong beer ; we then mix this with a 
solution of soft-soap, or soapsuds. A pail is filled with 
this, and the ends of the shoots where the insects are 
assembled are brought down and dipped into the liquid. 
One dip is enough. Such parts as cannot be dipped are 
sprinkled liberally. It is applied to the heads of large 
trees by means of a hand or garden syringe. It should 
be done in the evening. The liquid may be so strong as 
to injure the foliage, hence it will be well for persons 
using it the first time to test it on one or two subjects 
before applying it extensively. This application must be 
repeated as often as any of the aphides make their appear- 
ance. The dry weather of mid-summer is generally the 
time most favorable for their appearance. The season of 
1882 has been remarkable for the prevalence of this pest 
all over the country, not merely on fruit but on forest 
trees. 

The Woolly Aphis or American Slight. — This is a 
small insect, covered with a white woolly substance that 
conceals its body. They infest the apple-tree in particu- 
lar, both roots and branches, living upon the sap of the 
bark, and producing small warts or granulations on it by 
the punctures. They are more particularly troublesome 
on old rough-barked trees, as they lodge in the crevices, 
and are difficult to reach. The wind carries them from 
one place to another by the light down in which they are 
enveloped, and thus they spread quickly from one end of 



IIs'SECTS. 481 

a plantation to the other. Not a moment should bo lost 
in destroying the first one that makes its appearance. 
TVhere the bark is rough it should be scraped smootli ; if 
tlie roots be affected the earth should be removed, and 
every part washed, and every crevice filled with the fol- 
lowing pieparation, recommended in Harris's Treatise : 
" Two parts of soft-soap and eight of water, mixed with 
lime enough to bring it to the consistency of thick white- 
wash, to be put on with a brush." A solution of two 
pounds of potash in seven quarts of water will answer 
as well. Fresh earth should be put upon the roots. 

The Oyster Shell Barh-Louse. — This is a dark-brown 
scale insect, that infests the bark of the apple-tree. 
The scales are cf a dark-brown color, like the bark, and 
are not easily seen unless looked for. ,They attach them- 
selves closely to the bark, and sometimes are so numerous 
as to form a complete coating. They seldom appear on 
thrifty-growing trees in good soil ; but where the soil is 
damp and cold, and the trees growing feebly, this insect 
may be looked for. June is the time to destroy them, 
when they are young. At other times they are hard, and 
able to resist any ordinary remedy. The same application 
recommended for the aphis, applied to them with a hard 
brush, will effect their destruction. Where they have 
been left for a long time undisturbed, and have pretty 
well covered the tree, the quickest and best remedy is to 
destroy tree and all, unless it possesses some extraordinary 
claim for indulgence. There are many other species of 
bark lice or scale insects. Nearly every kind of tree or 
shrub may be infested by them. 

The Apple-tree Borer is a very troublesome insect in 
some sections of the country. In Western New York 
we have never met with it but in two or three instances, 
in very old, neglected orchards, that had stood for twenty 
years in grass. The beetle is striped brown and white, 
and is about three-fourths of an inch long. It deposits its 



482 DISEASES AKD HiTSECTS. 

eggs in June, in the bark of the trees near the ground. 
Here the larva is hatched, becoming a whitish grub, 
which saws its way into the tree, perforating it in all 
directions, sometimes completely girdling it. The most 
effectual method to destroy them is, to insert the end of a 
wire into their burrow, and killing them. The same 
means are taken to guard against them as against the 
peach-tree grub, viz., placing a mound of ashes around 
the base of the trunk in the spring, and allowing it to 
remain until after the season in which the beetles deposit 
their eggs. It prevents them from reaching the soft bark 
at the surface of the ground, the place usually selected. 
It is stated in Downing's Fruit and Fruit Trees, that " the 
beetles may be destroyed in June by building small fires 
of shavings in different parts of the orchard." 

The Apple -Worm — Codling-Moth. — The ravages of 
this insect on the apple are becoming quite alarming, and 
unless its destruction be pursued with prompt and perse- 
vering efforts, our apple-orchards will soon cease to be 
profitable. The moth appears in New England, New 
York, and other places similar in climate, about the mid- 
dle of June ; farther south earlier. It deposits its eggs 
in the eye or cal.yx of the young apple ; in a few days 
they hatch, and the worm burrows into the core of the 
fruit. It can be traced by the brownish powder which it 
casts out behind it. In some three weeks it attains its 
full size, and escapes from the apple through a hole which 
it makes in the side, and takes shelter in the scales of the 
bark of the tree or such other suitable place as it can find. 
The insects complete their transformations in two or 
three weeks, and produce a second brood of moths, 
which lay their eggs, and again stock the apples with 
worms. The fall brood of worms remain in their co- 
coons during the winter, and appear as moths in spring. 

Means of Destruction. — 1st. Scrape and clean the bark 
of the trees thoroughly early in spring, and see that no 



INSECTS. 483 

cocoons are left in the crevices. 2d. Examine all barrels, 
bins, shelves, etc., where apples have been stored in cel- 
lars or fruit-room. 3d. Place bandages of old cloth, car- 
pet, or rags of any kind around the trunks and large 
branches of every tree, say by 1st of July, to trap the 
worms; examine every week or two, and kill all worms 
that have been trapped. 4th. Pick or knock off every 
wormy fruit before the worm escapes, and destroy; pick 
up all that drop, and destroy in the same way. Kecently 
Paris Green has been used against the apple worm with 
great success. The poison is mixed with water and 
sprayed upon the trees soon after the fruit sets. The 
calyx end of the fruit then points upward, and the poison 
will lodge in the blossom end of the apple. The young 
worms are poisoned as soon as they begin to eat into the 
fruit. The summer rains wash the Paris Green from 
the trees, so that even a chemical analysis will fail to 
show its presence in the autumn. It is said that a small 
amount of Paris Green, a tablespoonful to the barrel of 
water is sufficient. The best way to spray large trees is 
to place a barrel or cask containing the liquid on a plat- 
form wagon, which can be drawn through the orchard 
by horses. The fluid maybe thrown upon the trees by 
any one of the several force pumps sold for that purpose. 

The Canker- Worm. — The moths generally emerge from 
the ground in March, though some rise during the late 
autumn and winter months. The female has no wings, 
but crawls up the tree, and lays her eggs on the branches 
in May, in clusters of 60 to 100 in each; the little worms 
fall upon the leaves, and, when numerous, devour them 
all, leaving only the mid-ribs. They leave the trees when 
about four weeks old, and enter the ground. Their effects 
are most visible in June, when the trees, divested of their 
foliage, appear as if scorched by fire. 

As the female cannot fly, the great point is to prevent 
her from crawling up; for this purpose various means have 



48i DISEASES AND I]^SECrS. 

been tried. One of tlie most effectual is to tie or tack strips 
of canvas or stiif broAvn paper around the tree and cover 
them with tar, renewing the tar during their whole season 
of rising, or from October until May. Another is, to make 
a close-fitting collar of boards around the base of the tree, 
and keep the boards covered with tar. 

The Tent Caterpillar is an insect that commits very 
general and extensive devastation in our orchards, and 
especially in certain seasons. The moth deposits its eggs 
in July, in larg3 rings, on the branches of the trees; 
these remain in that state until the following season, 
when they are hatched in the latter end of May or be- 
ginning of June. Each ring produces three or four 
hundred caterpillars, and these weave a sort of web to 
live in. There are two ways of destroying them: one is, 
to examine the trees carefully in February or March, at 
pruning time, and destroy the clusters of eggs by cutting 
off and burning the branches on which they are found. 
The next is to destroy the caterpillars in their tents after 
they are hatched. The quickest and most effectual method 
is to remove every nest with the hands. The early morn- 
ing should be chosen, when the worms are in the nests. 
Some burn the webs with a torch made by tying rags 
to the end of a long pole, and wetting the rags with 
kerosene. 

The Olierry and Pear Slug. — This is a most destruc- 
tive insect. The first brood appears in June and July, 
and a second brood afterward, as small, slimy, dark-brown 
slugs on the upper surfaces of the leaves of the cherry 
and pear. They devour greedily the parenchyma of the 
leaves, leaving only the bare network of veins. In a 
short time growth is completely stopped. 

Stocks for budding require careful watching, for a day 
or two of these slugs may prevent them from being worked 



INSECTS. 485 

that season. We destroy them by throwing fine earth 
taken up with tlie hand among the trees, and by ashes or 
slaked lime, when the earth is not sufficiently dry and 
fine. The caustic properties of lime and ashes render 
them more certainly destructive to the slug, and they 
should always be used in preference to common earth, 
where only a few trees are to be gone over. 

A liberal syringing with the tobacco and soap liquid 
recommended for the aphis, but in a weaker state, is ser- 
viceable after the ashes and lime. It must be remembered 
that one application Avill seldom be sufficient. Some 
escape even to the third or fourth ; but in all cases the 
warfare should be sustained whilst one remains. They 
are generally most troublesome in warm and dry seasons. 

TJie Currant- TFbrm.— This is a small, light, yellow worm 
that eats the leaves of currants and gooseberries in June. 
The remedy is to dust the leaves with powdered white 
hellebore, as soon as it first appears, and repeat daily till 
the worm disappears. We liave also used dry fresh- 
slaked lime successfully. 

The Gurculio or Plum - Weevil. — This is a small grayish- 
brown beetle, nearly a quarter of an inch long ; the wing- 
covers form two little humps on the back, which give it 
a roundish appearance, and it has a long crooked snout, 
well adapted to its destructive propensities. They can 
fly, but are not active ; and by jarring the part on which 
they stand, suddenly, they fall to the ground, draw in 
their legs, and appear dead. It deposits its ^gg in a 
semicircular incision which it makes in the young fruit ; 
it there hatches, eats into the fruit, and causes it to fall 
while yet green. In some places it destroys the entire 
crop of plums, apricots, and nectarines, and attacks even 
the cherry and the apple. The peach, even, is not wholly 
exempt, notwithstanding its coat of down. Almost every 
remedy that ingenuity can devise has been tricl. This 
whole book would not contain what has been written 



48B DISEASES AND mSECTS. 

on the subject in one year alone. Yet no complete, effec- 
tual remedy has been discovered. The strongest liquid 
applications of lime, soap, and tobacco, the most power- 
ful and offensive odors that repel any other insects, are 
entirely harmless and inoffensive to the cnrculio. There 
seem to be really but two means worthy of being re- 
sorted to. One is, to pave, or in some other way harden, 
the surface of the ground, so that the grubs cannot 
enter it to complete their transformations. This is found 
efficient where no other trees are in the immediate vicinity 
not paved. We have seen many instances where good 
crops were obtained by this mode. The fact that they 
are, as a general thing, less troublesome in stiff clay 
soils than in light porous ones, is alone a proof of the 
efficacy of a stiff or impenetrable surface soil. 

Add to this the picking up of fruit containing the grub 
as soon as it drcp^ from the tree, and before the worm 
has a chance to escape. 

To accomplish both these ends, some people have 
planted their plums and apricots in a small inclosure by 
themselves, adjoining the hog-pen, and as soon as the 
fruits begin to drop these animals are admitted, and 
gather all up, and at the same time tread the ground 
so firmly that it is almost as good as if it were paved. 

This is probably the easiest and best way to insure a 
crop of the fruits attacked by this insect. 

Another way is, to jar the tree daily, from the moment 
they begin to appear, which is when the fruit is the size 
of a pea, until they have disappeared, or the fruit begins 
to ripen, when it is no longer attacked. This is our own 
method, and is successful. The insects are easier jarred 
off in the cool of the morning, while they are torpid. 

Before commencing to jar them down, a white sheet or 
cloth, wide enough to cover all the ground under the 
branches, should be spread to receive the insects as they 
fall, so that they may be destroyed. This was recom- 



INSECTS. 487 

mended through the " Genesee Farmer," by David Thomas, 
forty years ago. At the West a machine or hand butting 
barrow has been introduced for jarring and catching the 
curculio in large orchards, but it is said to injure the trees 
by the severe blows consequently necessary with its use. 

From repeated observations, I am inclined to believe 
that it is quite sensitive to cold, for it is well known that 
in the cool of the morning it is always in a comparative 
state of torpor; and in the cold seasons of 1849-50, when 
our peach trees and fruit were so greatly injured, the cur- 
culio was diiven off, and we had a most abundant crop 
of plums. A cold day or two may not affect it ; but 
when it continues for two weeks, as in the years referred 
to, it seems to be rendered powerless for that season. 

Ants, — These are not very destructive, yet they some- 
times do considerable injury to beds of seedlings, by 
making their hillocks among them, and they also infest 
ripe fruits. 

Boiling water, oil, or spirits of turpentine, jwured on 
their hillocks, disperses them ; and if wide-mouthed bot- 
tles, half-filled with sweetened water or syrup, be hung 
among the branches of a tree when the fruit is attaining 
maturity, ants, wasps, flies, and beetles of all sorts that 
prey greedily upon sweets, will be attiacted into them. 

Mr. Downing, who recommends this as a "general ex- 
tirpator suited to all situations," says that " an acquaint- 
ance caught in this way, in one season, more than three 
bushels of insects of various kinds, and preserved his 
garden almost entirely against them." 

A gentleman in Detroit, who was very careful of his 
garden, informed me that he had pursued this method 
of trapping insects with results that perfectly astonished 
him. He had to empty the bottles every few days to 
make room for more. A very good way of trapping and 
killing ants is, to besmear the inside of flower-pots with 
molasses, and turn them on their mouths near the hillock; 



488 DISEASES AKD INSECTS. 

the insects will soon assemble inside on the molasses, 
when they are easily destroyed by a handful of burning 
straw. 

The Peach -Tree Borer. — This is a most destructive 
insect when allowed to increase for a few years without 
molestation. We have seen whole orchards of fine trees 
ruined by them. They sometimes attack even young 
trees in the nursery, and commit serious depredations on 
their collar, rendering them in many cases quite unfit for 
planting. Their multiplication should be prevented by 
all possible means. The eggs are deposited in summer 
on the base of the trunk, near the collar, where the bark 
is soft. There they are hatched, and bore their way 
under the bark of the tree, either in the stem or root, or 
both, producing an effusion of gum. Where trees are 
already affected, the proper course is, to remove the earth 
from around the collar of the root, clean away the gum, 
destroy any cocoons that may be found, trace the grub 
through its holes in the tree, and kill it ; then fill up 
around the tree with fresh earth, and place a shovelful or 
two of ashes around the base. One of the best orchards 
in the vicinity of Rochester was at one time nearly ruined 
by the prevalence of this grub, when it changed pro- 
prietors, and the present one adopted and followed the 
plan recommended above, until there is not the trace of 
one left. The ashes or slaked lime should be applied 
every spring, and at the end of summer may be scattered 
about the tree ; both ashes and lime form an excellent 
dressing for the peach. 

The Rose-Bug. — The eggs of this insect are laid in 
the earth, where they are hatched, and from which the 
bug emerges about the rose season. 

In some seasons and in some localities they appear like 
grasshoppers in vast multitudes, and commit extensive 
ravages, not only on the rose but fruit trees and all other 
green things. Syringing the plants with diluted whale- 



AKIMAIS IISTJURIOUS TO PEUIT TEEES. 480 

oil soap is the only remedy aside from hand-picking, which 
is most effectual. One gallon of whale-oil soap to three 
gallons of water syringed over them, when on the tree, 
effectually destroys them. In some cases fruit trees have 
been protected by covering them with millinet. 

Leaf- Rollers. — In May and June these insects may be 
found on the leaves of fruit trees, and especially on the 
pear; they form for themselves a sort of cocoon out of the 
leaf. The leaves attacked by them should be removed and 
destroyed, in order to prevent their increase. The leaf- 
rollers are small caterpillars, which develop into little 
moths or '^ millers." 

Section 3.— Animals Injurious to Fruits and 
Fruit Trees. - 

Birds. — A% a general thing, birds are more the friends 
than the enemies of the garden. Many of them subsist 
in greater part on insects, and thus perform services 
that are by no means appreciated. The early cherries 
and grapes are generally the greatest sufferers by them, 
and various devices are practised to frighten them away, 
the most cruel of which is shooting, which must, however, 
in some cases be resorted to. Moving objects resembling 
the human figure, bits of looking-glass or tin suspended 
among the branches, etc., are often effectual. Dwarf 
trees are easily covered with thin netting supported on 
poles and fastened at the base of the tree. 

Field Mice. — The most effectual preventive is clean 
culture. Leave no grass, weeds, rubbish, or heaps of 
stones around the garden or orchard, and the mice will 
seldom be troublesome. Their operations of girdling 
are principally carried on beneath the snow, and when 
this is firmly trodden down as soon as it falls, it ob- 
structs their way. A correspondent of the "Horticul- 
turist" states that he has found tin tubes fixed around 
the base of the tree, an effectual remedy ; and Mn 



490 DISEASES AN^D IN^SECTS. 

Hooker, of Rochester, has successfully driven them off 
with poison. He takes a block of wood six inches long 
and three or four square, and bores it lengthwise with 
an inch-and-a-half auger nearly through, and places in 
the lower end some corn-meal and arsenic. He places 
these blocks among the trees, mouth inclined down- 
wards, "to keep the powder dry." 

Great destruction of orchards was committed by the 
mice in the winter of 1869-70, and since then various con- 
trivances have been resorted to. One is to incase the lower 
part of the tree in a thin, flexible wooden covering. Com 
and corn-meal mixed with poison and scattered around 
the trees has also been employed, with more or less success. 

Moles. — These are easily poisoned and driven off, by 
putting pills of flour mixed with arsenic into their holes, 
and shutting them up. We have seen them banished 
by bits of dried codfish placed in the entrance of their holes. 

Cats often commit serious depredations on trees by 
scratching the bark. Quite recently we saw a large 
number of beautiful fruit trees nearly ruined by them. 
A few briers secured around trees in the vicinity of the 
house, where they frequent most, will be a suflicient 
protection. 

Sags. — It is not generally supposed that these ani- 
mals will attack trees ; but we have heard of a Western 
farmer who turned in a large number of them to con- 
sume the corn that had been grown in his young 
orchard. When the corn began to grow scarce they at- 
tacked the trees, and not one out of several hundred 
but was completely girdled— the bark gnawed off as far 
up as the brutes could reach. - 

Where it may be desirable to turn hogs into an or- 
chard, unless the feed be very abundant, the trees should be 
protected around the base with thorns, briers, or some 
prickly brush. 

Mahhits may be deterred from causing injury by rub- 
20* 



IMPLEMENTS OF THE SOIL. 491 

biug the body of the tree with fresh blood once in a week 
i)v so during winter, or by wrapping them a foot or two 
above the ground with thick, firm paper. 



CHAPTER IV. 



KITRSERT, ORCHARD, AND FRUIT-GARDEN IMPLEMENTS. 

The following are the principal implements used in the 
propagation, pruning, and cultivation of fruit-trees :* 

Section 1. — Implements of the Soil. 

7%e Subsoil Plow (see fig. 160) is the great reformer 
of the day in the preparation of soils of all qualities and 




Fig. 160.— SUBSOIL PLOW. 

textures, for nursery, orchard, or garden trees. It follows 
the ordinary plow in the same furrow ; and the largest 
size, !N'o. 2, with a powerful team, can loosen the subsoil 
to the depth of eighteen inches. No. 1 will be sufficient 
in clear land when the subsoil is not very stifi". 

The One-Horse Plow. — Similar to the common plow 
used by farmers. It is a labor-saving implement for cul- 
tivating the ground among nursery-trees or orchards 



* A share of the engravings used in the illustration of this chapter are from 
the elaborate Implement Catalogue of R, H. Allen & Co., No. 189 and 191 Water 
•treet, New York City. 



492 I^URSERT AKD FKUIT GARDEI^^ IMPLEMENTS. 



closely planted. The horse should be steady, the man 
careful, and the whiffle-tree as short as possible, that the 
trees need not be bruised. It should neither run so deep 
nor so near the trees as to injure the roots. 

The Cultivator. — This, with the plow, obviates the 




Fig. 161.— CULTIVATOK. 

necessity of spade-work, and, in a great measure, hoeing. 
If the ground be plowed in the 8})ring, and the cultivator 
passed over it once every week or two during the 
summer, all the hoeing necessary will be a narrow 
strip of a few inches on each side of the row. The 
double-pointed steel-toothed, with a wheel in front, as 
shown in fig. 161, is the best. 

The Tree-Digging Flow. — This implement facilitates 
the work and entirely supersedes the spade in the labor 
of digging trees of the usual size in the nursery, where an 
entire plot is to be cleared. " It is constructed (see fig. 
162) with two beams, one to run on each side of the row of 
trees, two sets of handles, and a peculiar share, much in 
shape like the letter U. This share is very sharp, the 
horizontal part runs under, and the vertical ones on each 



IMPLEMENTS OF THE SOIL. 493 

side of the trees, and the roots are thus smoothly cut off, 
wliile the trees remain standing. The plow is of course pro- 
pelled by horses and guided by two plowmen. It is an 
admirable implement for rv)ot-pruning young trees, espe- 
cially evergreens, in place of the old practice of lemoving 




Fig. 163.— TREE-DIGGING PLOW. 

them in order to cause them to throw out fibres and make 
balls suited to future removal. 

The One-Horse Cart. — This is an indispensable machine 
in the nursery, orchard, or large garden. Four-wheeled 
wagons are difficult to unload, and require a great deal of 
space to turn in. The cart can be turned in a circle of 
twelve or fourteen feet, and the load discharged in a mo- 
ment, simply by taking out the key that fastens the body 
to the shafts, throwing it up, and moving the horse forward. 
Our carts are about six feet long and three wide in the 
body, shafts six feet long, wheels four and a half feet 
high, and tire two and a half wide, to prevent them from 
sinking into the ground. The box is about a foot deep, 
and when large loads are to be carried a spreading board 
is put on the top with brackets. Cost from $30 to 850. 

The Wheelbarrow (fig. 163). — Every man who has a 
rod of ground to cultivate should possess this machine. 
In small gardens it is sufficient for the conveyance of all 
manures, soils, products, etc., and in larger places it is al- 



494 NURSERY AKD FRUIT GARDEN IMPLEMENTS. 

ways needed for use, where a cart cannot go. The handles 
or levers should be of ash or some tough wood, and the 




Fi"-. 163.— WnEELBARROW 



sides and bottom of any light wood. The wheel is soft 
wood, shod with iron. 

The Spade (fig. 164).— The best kinds 
of these in use' are Ames' cast-steel; 
excellent, strong, light articles. They 
work clean and bright as silver. There 
are several sizes. For heavy work, 
trenching, draining, raising trees, etc., 
the largest should be used. 

The Shovel (fig. 165).— This is used 
in mixing, loading, and spreading com- 
posts and short manures. The blade 
!'| should be of cast-steel. 
' The Forked Spade (fig. 166).— This 
resembles a fork. It has three to five 
stout cast-steel tines, at least an inch 
wide, and pointed. It is used instead 
of a spade to loosen the earth about 
the roots of trees, to turn in manures, 
etc., being much less liable to cut and 
injure them than the spade. 

The Dung-ForJc (fig. 167).— There 
are several kinds. Those of cast-steel, cut out of a solid 




Fio;. 164. — SPADE. 



IMPLEMENTS OF THE SOIL. 



495 



plate, with three or four tines, are the best, light and dura- 
ble ; they are sometimes made with six tines. It is the 
only implement proper for loading, mixing, or spreading 
fresh rough manures with facility and dispatch. 




Fig. 165.— SHOVEL. 



Fi^. 166.— FORKED SPADES. 



The Pick. — This is a useful, and even indispensable 
implement in the deepening or trenching of soils with a 
hard subsoil that cannot be operated upon with the spade. 
It consists of an ash handle, and a head composed of two 
levers of iron pointed with steel, and an eye in the centre 
for the handle. 

The Garden-Line and Reel (fig. 168). — The line should 
be a good hemp cord, from one eighth to one fourth of an 
inch in diameter, attached to light iron stakes about eigh- 
teen inches lonsr. On one of the stakes a reel is attached. 



49G ifUESERY AND FRUIT GARDEi^ IMPLEMENTS. 



This is turned by means of a handle, and the line neatly 
and quickly wound up. 

The Hoe. — This is a universal instrument in this coun- 
try. In some cases, 
all the gardening 
operations are per- 
formed with it. Its 
uses in tree culture 
are to open trenches 
for seeds, to cover 
them, to loosen and 
clean the surface of 
the ground from 
weeds, etc. There 
are two kinds, the 
draw hoe (figs. 169, 
170, 171) and the 
Dutch or thrust hoe 
(fig. 172) ; this we do 
not use at all. Of 
the difierent kinds 
and forms of the 
draw hoe, the most 
crenerally useful is 

,, , Fig. 167. — DUNG-FORKS. 

the square, a cast- 
steel plate, about six inches long and four wide, with a 
light, smooth handle. The semicircular 
and triangular hoes may be advantage- 
ously used in certain cases. 

The Pointed Garde7i Hoe (fig. 173) is 
useful among borders and small plants. 
The Bake (fig. 174) is used to level, 
smooth, pulverize, and clean the surface 
of the ground after it has been spaded 
Fig. 168.-LINE AND ^^ ^^^^^ <^^ ^^ prepare it for seeds, etc. 
REEL. They are of diflferent sizes, with from 





IMPLEMENTS FOR CUTTING. 



497 



six to twelve teeth. The best are those of which the 
head and teeth are drawn out of a solid bar of steel. 
/ii Tliose that are welded and riveted soon get 
out of order. 

Section 2. — Implements foe Cutting. 

The Priming Saw. — This is used for cutting 
off branches, either too large for the knife, or so 
situated that the knife cannot operate. It has 
various sizes and forms. Some are jointed, 
and fold like a pruning-knife ; others are like 
the common carpenter's handsaw, but smaller 
and stouter. Two forms are shown at fig. 175. 
The Bow-Saw (fig. 176). — This is the most 
generally useful form for the gardener or nur- 
169.— seryman. Tlie blade is very narrow, and stiff- 
ened by an arch back. It is fastened at both 
ends by a rivet to the screw on which the 
back turns, and by wliich it is adapted to different pur- 
poses. It is indispensable in making horizontal cuts close 
to the ground, as in heading down. 

Some are set with a double row of teeth on one side, 




Fig. 

SQUARE 
DRAW-HOE, 





Fig;. 170.— TRIANGULAR DRAW-HGE. T\g. 171.— SEMICIRCULAR DRAW-HOR, 

and the edge is much thicker than the back ; these w^ork 
much easier than those toothed in tlie ordinary way, and 
it would be an object to have them where much saw-prun- 



498 NUESEKY AN"© FRUIT GARDEJ^ IMPLEMEN^TS. 



ing is to be done. Wherever the saw is used, the cut 
surface should be pared smooth with the knife, to facili- 
tate its healing. 

Long-handled pruning-saws are sometimes recommended, 
but never should be 
used in pruning fruit- 
trees, if possible to 
avoid it. The branch 
to be operated should 
be reached by means 
of a ladder, if need 
be, within arm's 
length, and cut with 
a common saw. 

Hand Pruning- 
Shears (fig. 177).— 
There is a kind of 
these made now, 
that, having a mov- 
ing center, as in the 
figuro, make a smooth 
draw cut almost 
equal to that of a 
knife, and it is a very- 
expeditious instru- ^'^S- l^a.— dutch ob 

, . ^T_ T 1 /> THRUST-HOE. 

ment m the hand of 
a skilful workman. In pruning out small 
dead branches, shortening in peach- 
trees, etc.. It will perform four times as 
much work as a knife. 

Fig. 173. — POINTED 

Fruning Scissors (fig. 178).— These g^Rden-hoe. 
scissors cut as smoothly as a knife, and can be easily car- 
ried in the pocket, ready to take away a small branch 
wherever it may chance to be observed. 

Lopping or Branch Shears. — These are very strongly 




IMPLEMENTS FOR CUTTING. 



409 



made, with long wooden handles, and are used for cutting 
jl^^ thick branches from trees, shrub- 

ll*-*'^^"!,*^ hery, hedges, etc. One form is 
shown in fig. 179. 

Pole Pruning Shears. — These 
resemble tlie hand-shears, but are 
woiked by a string passing over a 
pulley, and are fixed on a pole of 
any lequired length. They are used 
in cutting cions, diseased shoots, 
etc., from the heads of lofty stand- 
ard trees. 

Grape Scissors. — These are small, 
sharp-pointed scissors, as in fig. 180, 
for thinning bunches of grapes. 

The Pruning- Kntfe. — The best 
for general purposes are those of 
medium size, with a handle about 
four inches long, smooth, slightly 
hollowed in the back ; the blade 
^. about three and a half inches lonar, 

Fig. 174.— GARDEN RAKE. - /- • i • -i j 

three quarters oi an mch wide, and 
nearly straight (fig. 181). For very heavy work a larger 





Fi<r. 175. — PRUNING-SAWS. 



size may be necessary. " Saynor's " (Englisli) knives of 
this kind are unsurpassed in material and finish. 

The Budding Knife. — This is much smaller than the 



500 



KUESERY AKD FRUIT GARDEInT IMPLEMENTS. 



pruning-knife, with a thin, straight blade, the edge some- 
times rounded at the point. The handle is of bone or 

ivory, and has a thin, 
wedge-shaped end for 
raising the bark. Bud- 
ders have various fan- 
cies about shape and 




Fig. 176.— BOW-SAW. 



size; one form is given in figure 182. 

The Grafting- Chisel—This is used for splitting large 





Fig. 178.— PBUNING-SCISSORS. 



Fig. 177.— HAND PRUNING-SHEARS. 

stocks ; the blade is about two inches long, and an inch and 

a half Avide, in the shape of a wedge ; the edge curved so 

as to cut, and not tear the bark ; the handle eight or ten 

inches long, at the end of 
which is a narrow wedge to 
keep the split open until the 
cion is inserted. (See figure 
183.) The whole is of steel. 

Some are made with the blade in the middle, the wedge 

at one end, and 

a hook to hang 

it by on the 

other. 

Mr. David S. 

Wagner, o f 

Pulteney, K. 

Y., has invent- 
ed an ingenious 

implement for Fig. 179.— lopping or branch shears. 

grafting grapes; as it is patented, those who desire to 

know about it may inquire of the inventor. 




IMPLEMEiq^TS FOR CUTTING. 



501 



Tree-Scraper (fig. 184). — This is made of heavy plate- 
steel, with a long, jointed 
handle for scraping upper 
branches, or a short one 
Fig. ISO.— GRAPE SCISSORS. for thc trunks. 





Fis:. 182. — BUDDING-KNIFE. 



Section 3. — Laddbrs and Frijit-Gatheeees. 

Ladders. — Of these there are many kinds. For the 
fruit-garden, where 
the trees are low, 
the self-supporting 
ladder (fig. 185) is j,.^. ^^^ p,,^^,^^o.kniee. 

the most conveni- 
ent and best. It should be made of light wood, with flat 

steps, so tbat a person 
can stand upon them 
and work. The back, 
or supports, consist of 
one or two light pieces of timber, fixed at the top with 
hooks and straps, so as to be contracted or extended at 
pleasure. A ladder of 
this kind, six or eight 
feet high, Avill answer 
all the demands of a 
garden. 

Orchard Ladders are of various kinds. For pruning or 
gathering the fruit from lofty trees, a great length of lad- 
der is necessary ; it is therefore desirable that the mate- 
rial be as light as 
possible consistent 
with the necessary 
strength. Some- 

^. ^^. times these longr lad- 

Fig. 184. — TREE-SCRAPER. ^ 

ders are composed 
of several smaller ones, that fit into one another, all 




GRAFTING CHISEL. 




502 NURSEKY AND FRUIT GARDEN IMPLEMENTS. 



mounted on a frame with a small wheel, by which they 

are easily moved about. 

The Folding Ladder is a very neat and convenient ar- 
ticle for many purposes. The 
inside of the styles is hol- 
lowed out, and the steps are 
fastened to them by means of 
iron pins, on which they turn 
as on hinges, so that the two 
sides can be brought together, 
the steps turning into the 
grooves or hollows in them, 
the whole appearing like a 
round pole — j5. It is more 
easily carried and placed where 
wanted than the ordinary lad- 
der. A represents it open, 
and B closed (fig. 186). 
There are also Self-supporting Orchard-Ladders^ coni- 

posed of tliree upright pieces of any required length, and 

spread widely at the bottom, to give them stability. Two 




185, — FRUIT-LADDER. 




Fig, 186. — ^foldhtg ladder. 



of the sides are fixed, and are furnished with steps all 
the way up. The third is longer and movable, and can 
be extended or contracted at pleasure. 

A piece of board wide enough to stand upon can be 
extended from one side to the other, resting upon the 
steps at whatever hight it is desirable to work. On the 
movable side a pulley is fixed, by which the baskets of 
fruit are let down as they are gathered. Two persons or 



LADDERS AND FRUIT-GATHERERS. 



503 



more can ascend and work on a ladder at the same time. 

Fig. 187 represents one of these ; a, b, the two fixed 

sides ; C, the movable one It 
IS considerably used in France 
The Grchardisfs Hook Is a 
light rod, with a hook on one 
end, and a movable piece of 
wood that slides along it. 

The person gathering fruit 
draws tie branch towards 
him with the hooked end, and 
retains it there by means of 
the sliding piece which is 
hooked to another branch. 
This is an indispensable in- 
strument in gathering fruit 

Fig. 187. — SELF-SUPPORTING A,^^ 1 x 

OliCHARB LADDER. ^^^^ ^^^'^^ t^^^^' 

Fruit- Gatherers. — Of these 
there are many designs by which the fruit may be taken 





Fig. 188.— GRAPE-GATHERER. 

from the tree by a person standing on the ground. They 




Fig. 189.— HAND SYRINGE. 

answer very well for gathering a few ripe specimens for 



504 KUKSERY Aiq"© FRUIT GARDEN IMPLEMENTS. 



immediate consumption. The ladder, hooJc, and hand are 
the only safe and expeditious fruit-gatherers. Some are 
made in the form of a vase of wood or tin placed on the 
end of a pole. The edge of tlie vase is toothed, and 
when the stem of the fruit is taken between two of the 
teeth, and slightly twisted, it drops. Others are composed 
of a pair of shears on the end of a pole, to which a basket 
is attached that slides up and down the handle. 




Fig. 190.— BARROW-BNGIlSrE. 

The Grape- Gatherer resembles a pair of shears com- 
bining the property of pincers. They cut a bunch of 



MACHINES FOR WATERING. 



505 



grapes, and held it firmly until it is brought down. 
These are very useful for gathering a few bunches of 
grapes from the top of a house or trellis (fig. 188). 

Section 4. — Machines for Watering. 

The Sand-Syringe (fig. 189). — This is a very useful 
implement for sprinkling and washing the foliage of trees 
in dry weather. There are various kinds, made of tin, 
copper, and brass, and sold at various prices. Whatever 
sort is used should have several caps {A) to regulate the 
quantity or shower of water discharged ; and they should 
also have an inverted or " gooseneck " one {B) to throw 
the stream, if necessary, on the under side of leaves, or in 
any oblique direction. 

There are, also, hand-engines^ harr el-engines^ and bar- 
row-engines^ all of which are 
very useful. In every large 
garden there should be both the 
syringe and one of these en- 
gines; for watering is a most 
important afiair in gardening 
under our hot sun and pro- 
tracted drouths. 

The Barrow - Engine (fig. 
190) is the most useful for general purposes ; it is easily 
moved from one place to another. The improved kinds are 
easily worked, and the water-box, being provided with a 
strainer, excludes anything likely to derange its operations. 
The Garden Watering-pot (fig. 191). — This is a tin 
or copper vessel that may hold from one to four gal- 
lons of water, with a spout sva or eight inches long, by 
which the water is discharged. There should be a rose or 
roses, as in cut, to fit on the spout, pierced with large or 
small holes, by which the water can be discharged in a 
shower. Every pot may have several roses, pierced with 
holes of various sizes, to adapt them to different purposei. 




Fig. 191. — WATERING-POT. 



INDEX. 



Almonds 459 

American Blight 480 

Animals Injurious to Fruits and 

Friiit-Trees 489 

Ants 487 

Aphis or Plant Lous^e 479 

Apple and Pear as Espaliers, Train- 
ing . 2S9 

" as a Dwarf on Paradise Stock. .237 

'• Bliiiht 475 

'' for Dwarfs 207 

" Prmiingthe , 220 

" Tree Borer 481 

" Trees, Cordon 207 

" Worm ,. ..482 

Applei^, Autumn 386 

" Choice Garden Varieties. . .302 

" Distance apart to Plant 217 

" for Dwarfs 362 

" Forms of. 62 

*' For Ornament, etc 358 

" List of, for the States 361 

" Packing 468 

" Summer..., 331 

Winter 340 

Apricots 386 

" Distance apart to Plant . . 217 

" Planting 190 

" Pruning and Management. .269 

" Training 211 

Barberries •-■ 167 

Bark, Inner. 25 

" Outer 26 

Bark-Louse 456 

Berberries 434 

Bitter Rot 475 

Blackberries 166, 434 

" Packing 470 

Blackberry, Culture of the 317 

Blossoming in alternate Years 5o 

'* Period of 52 

Branches, Curved 29 

" Erect , 29 

Horizontal 29 

Lateral 29 

Main 28 

" Secondary 29 

Bud, Insertion of 149 

" Treatment of the Growing ...151 

Budding, Propagation by 89 

Time of 148 

Buds 35 

" Adventitious 37 

♦' Axilary 37 

" Compound and Simple Fruit. . .39 

" Cutting and Preparing 90 

" Dormant or Latent. 38 

" Fruit 39 

" Inferior 38 

'• Lateral 37 

" Leaf , 38 

" Names and Characters of 37 

" Nature and Functions of 35 

" Preserving 90 

" Stipular..' , 38 

'• Superior 38 

" Terminal 37 

" Untying 150 

(506) 



Canker-Worm 483 

Cats 490 

Cherries 388 

•' Distance apart to Plant 217 

" Forms of. 64 

Heart 388 

Pacldng 470 

" Pyramidal-headed Standard 251 

" Select List of 394 

Cherry and Pear Sluir 484 

" Pruning as a Pyramid 251 

" " as a Dwarf or Bush.253 

" " " " Standard 254 

" " an Espalier .. 252 

" Pruning the 249 

" Pyramidal iorm for 209 

" Trees, Setting Standard. ...190 

Chestnuts 167, 460 

Cions 94 

Climate 53 

Codling-Moth, Destroying the 482 

Cordon, Dwarf Apple Trained in 

Horizontal 207 

" Training of Pear Trees 243 

Cracking .475 

Curculio or Plum-Weevil 485 

Currant as an Espalier 311 

" as a Pyramid 310 

" Pruningthe 310 

the Black 311 

" Worm 455 

Currants 165, 419 

" Distance apart to Plant 218 

Packing 470 

Custard Apples 459 

Cuttings, Propagation by 83 

Diseases, Apple" Blight 475 

Bitter Rot 475 

" Cracking 475 

'• Curl of^ the Leaf in the 

Peach 479 

Fire-Blight 474 

" Gum in Stone Fruits 476 

Mildew 475 

Pear-Leaf Blight 476 

" Plum Black Knot 478 

" Rot of the Grape 478 

" Rust or Fungus 475 

Twig-Blight 474 

" Yellows in the Peach ...477 
Distances to Plant : 

Espalier Apple-trees 218 

Cherry-trees 218 

Plum-trees 218 

Horizontal Cordon Trees 219 

" Espalier Pear- trees. 218 

Oblique Cordon Trees 219 

Pyramidal Apple-trees 218 

" Pear-trees 218 

Plum-trees 218 

Double Working 100 

Draining 73 

Dwarf Bushes , 157 

" Ciierry-trees 253 

" Standard Cherry-tree 254 

Dwarfs and Dwarf Standards 213 

'■ the Apple for 207 

Espalier Cherry-trees 252 



IJ^DEX. 



507 



Espalier, Currant as an 311 

" Fau-shapcd 2«2 

" Peach-tree 261 

" " '• Square 267 

" Trees 158 

Fig, Progagatioii of the 305 

" Training in Graperies , . . .307 

" •• tlie 306 

Pigs 167,454 

Filbert, Form of 211 

Filberts 167,4(50 

•' Distance apart to Plant 2is 

Fire-Blight 474 

Flowers, Different Characters of 53 

" Parts of 49-52 

Frnit and Kitchen Garden 201 

•' Branches, Management of . . 235 

" Characters of 56 

" Classification of 56 

" '• Size of 60 

" Different Parts of. 58 

" Form of . . 61 

" Handling 4(i8 

" Garden, Inclosures for 197 

*' '• Laying out 199 

" " Proper 199 

" " Selection of Trees.... 204 

" " Situation of 196 

" " Soil for 197 

" » Trellises for 198 

" " Walks in the 202 

" " Water for 204 

" Gathering 462 

»' Marking 467 

" Packing 466 

*' Ripening. 464 

** Rooms 471 

" Spurs 33 

" Trees, Diseases of .. . 474 

Fruits, Attention to, in Cellar or 

Fruit-Room 473 

" Color of 64 

" Different Properties of 59 

" Flavor of. 65 

" for an Orchard, Varieties of. . 181 

" Select Varieties of 329 

Garden, Mixed 201 

Germination, Air in 68 

" Conditions of 67 

" Exclusionof Light in. 68 

" Heatin 68 

" Moisture in 67 

Grafting, Cleft 97 

" Composition 95 

Grape 160 

" Cuttings 34, 161 

" Layering the 160 

" Mildew of the 478 

" Root of the 478 

Grapery, Border for 290 

" Cleaning the vines in a. . ..293 

" Pruning the vines in a 292 

" Thinning the Fruit in a.. .293 

Vines for 291 

Grapes, Buildings for Foreign 239 

" Culture,Pruning, and Train- 
ing of 271 

*' Distance apart to Plant 273 



Grapes, Foreign 450 

'• Foreign in Cold Vineries... 288 

" Garden Culture of. ... 272 

" Hardy Native 271 

" Native 436 

" Packing 470 

" Position of the Vine or Bor- 
der for 273 

" Pruning 275 

" Soils for 272 

Trellis for 273 

" Vineyard Culture of. 282 

Gooseberry, Pruning the 307 

Gooseberries 165, 421 

" Distance apart to plant 218 

Heart or Perfect Wood 26 

Hedge-Fences for Orchards 18i) 

Heel ing-in 172 

Hogs..' 490 

Hybridization 54 

Implements 491 

Insects, Ants 487 

" Aphis or Plant Louse 479 

" Apple-tree Borer 481 

" Apple Worm 482 

" Canker Worm 483 

" Caterpillars 483 

" Cherry and Pear Slug 484 

Codling Moth 482 

" Curculio 485 

" Currant Worm 485 

" Leaf-Rollers 489 

" Peach-tree Borers 488 

" Rose-Bug..... 489 

"■ Scaly Aphis 481 

Labels for Nursery Trees 168 

Layering, Propagation by 86 

Laying out the Fruit-Garden 199 

Leaves, Structure and Functions of..40 

Lemons 458 

Limes 458 

Manure, Liquid 79 

Manures 74 

Manuring 323 

Medlar, Treatment of 249 

Mice, Field 489 

Mildew 475 

Moles 490 

Mulberries 166, 436 

Mulching 193,323 

Nectarine, Pruning the 270 

" Training the 211 

Nectarines 394 

" Distance apart to Plant. .217 

New Varieties, Production of. 81 

Nursery. 121, 154 

Oranges 456 

Orchard... 176 

'• Arrangement of Trees in . . 185 
" Preparation of Soil for an. .180 
" Selection of Trees for an .184 
" Selection of Varieties for. .329 

" Situation of 176 

Soil for 179 

Orchard-House, Trees in Tubs or 

Pots in the ....297 
" Varieties of Trees 

for 297 



508 



IKDEX. 



Orchard-Houses V'-^^i 

♦' Management of. ...298 

Orchards, Hedge-Fences for 180 

" Inclosures for 180 

" Planting 191 

Packing 130 

Pawpaws 459 

Peacli as a Dwarf Standard .210 

'* Curl of the Leaf in 479 

" Mildew on the. . 477 

" Pruning the 254 

'' Tree as an Espalier 261 

r " Tree Borer 488 

" Tree, Forming a Standard... 256 
" Tree in the Form of a Vase. .258 

" Tree, Pruning the 258 

" Tree, Root-Pruning the 258 

" Trees, Dwarf 134 

" Trees, Fan-shaped Espalier. .262 

" Trees. Setting 189 

" Trees trained on a Wall 262 

" Yellows in the 477 

Peaches _ 396 

" Distance apart to Plant — 21/ 

" Forms of 64 

" Packing 469 

" Select Garden 409 

" Select List of. 409 

Pear as a Pyramid — 208 

'' Pruning the 220 

" Seedlings 127 

" in Wine-glass Form 241 

Pear-leaf Blight 476 

Pear-Trees, Cordon-trained 243 

" Cutting back Pyramid- 
al.. ..224 

" First Pruning of.. 231 

" Oblique Cordon 244 

" Pruning the Yearling. .227 

" Pyramid 224 

" • Third Pruning of. 235 

" Training Standard 221 

Pears, Distance apart to Plant 273 

" Forms of 63 

" Packing 46S 

" Select Assortment of 384 

Pinching 109,222 

Pith.. 26 

Plants, Exhalation of Moisture from. 43 

Plowing, Subsoil 71 

Plum as a Dwarf Pyramid. ... 210 

" asaPyramid 209 

" Beach 136 

" Pruning and Management of.. 268 

" Soil for 179 

" Trees, Setting 190 

Plum-tree Wart or Black-Knot 478 

Plums 410 

" Distance apart to Plant 217 

" Forms of ... 64 

" Packing 470 

'' Select List of 417 

Pomegranates 458 

Propagating Fruit-Trees 80 

Propagation by Division of Plants.. 80 

Pruning of the Peach 254 

Pruning and Preparing Trees for 
Planting 191 



Pruning, Root 104 

Season for 108 

" the Apple and Pear 320 

" as Espaliers 239 

" on Paradise Stock 237 

" Apricot 269 

" Cherry as a Pyramid 251 

" " " Standard 250 

" Currant 310 

" Grape 275 

" Gooseberry 307 

" Nectai'ine 270 

" Peach Tree 258 

Pium .268 

" Raspberry 312 

Pyramidal Training 208 

Pyramids 155 

Quince, Angers... 130 

" Pruning and Training the.248 

" Training the 211 

Quinces... 384 

" Distance apart to Plant. . . 217 

" Packing 444 

Rabbits 490 

Raspberry, Manuring the 314 

" Planting the 312 

- " Pruning the 312 

" Summer Pruning the. . .313 

" Training the 314 

" Winter Protection lor. .316 

Raspberries 166, 422 

" Distance apart to Plant.218 

Packing 470 

Root, Different Parts of the 22 

'' Grafts, Planting 146 

" " Treatment of. 150 

Roots, Growth of 23 

Rotation of Crops 123 

Rust or Fungus 475 

Sap, Circulation of 45 

'• Wood 26 

Seed, the 66 

Seeds, Propagating by 80 

Sloe... " 136 

Soil, Annual Cultivation of 323 

" in Nursery, Treatment of 159 

Soils 69 

" Modes of Improving 71 

Staking 193 

Standards 152 

Dwarf..-. 146,155 

Stem 24 

" Growth of... 27 

" Structure of . . .• 27 

" The Different Parts of 25 

Stocks 94 

" Doucin 124 

" for Apples 124 

" Cherry 131 

" Apricot and Nectarine 134 

" Pium 135 

" Mahaleb 132 

" Paradise 124 

" Peach 133 

" Pear 127 

" Planting Peach 134 

«' Plum 134 

" Preparation of. 149 



INDEX. 



509 



stocks, Preparing and Saving Seeds 

for 132 

" Quince 128 

" Raisin? Seedling 124 

" Transplanting 137 

Strawberry, Culture of tlie 318 

Strawberries 165, 427 

" Packing 470 

Suckers, Propagation by 88 

Taking up Trees from tlie Nursery. .168 

Training the Apple 207 

"■ Apricot and Nectarine 211 

" Ciierry 209 

Filbert 211 

Peacli 210 

'• Pear 208 

" Quince 211 

Plum 209 

Trees, After-management of Or- 
chard 193 

" Ago of 212 

" Arrangennntof,in Orchard. 185 
"■ Arrangement in Regard to 

Position 216 

" Distance apart to Plant 216 

" Fastening to Walls and 

Trellises 268 

" for Market or Commercial 

Orchard 187 

" Form of 204 

" General Remarks upon the 

Structure of 21 

'• Heeling-in 172 

" Labeling 169 

♦' Mulching 193 



Trees, Packing 179 

" Permanent Plantations 'of 

Fruit 175 

'' Planting 216 

Protecting against Extremes 

of Temperature 3:i4 

•' Pruning and Preparing for 

Planting 191 

" Renovating Pyramidal Apple 

and Pear 324 

" Selection of .184 

" Setting Peach !.!.182 

" Setting Plum ..190 

" Setting Standard Cherry 190 

" Staking 193 

Taking up 2I6 

Trellis for Oblique Cordon Trees... 247 

Trellises jgg 

Trenching 72 

Twig-Bliirht .474 

Vineyard Culture of Grapes 282 

Depth to set the Plants in.286 
" Distance apart to set the 

Vines in 285 

" Kinds of Plants for 285 

" Methods of Training in.. 286 
" Preparation of Soil for. . .284 

'' Pruning a 286 

" Shelter for 284 

" Soil and Situation for 283 

" Time to Plant a 285 

Walks in the Fruit Garden 202 

Walnuts 167, 461 

Watering 324 

Yellows on tlie Peach ....477 



Ii\DEX TO THE DIFFEREIVT FRUITS. 

The standard names are in Roman letters ; the synonymous names in Itaiics. 



Almouds. 

Bitter Almond 459 

Ladies' Thin-^hell 459 

Soft Sweet-shell 459 

Sweet Hard-shell 459 

Apples. 

Alexander 336 

American Beauty 341 

American Golden Pippin 342 

American Golden Russet 341 

Autumn Strawb rry 339 

Autumn Sweet Bouzh 336 

Bailey's Sweet T 342 

Batchelor 353 

Beauty of Kent 336 

Belle de Boskoop 342 

Belmont ,342 

Ben Davis 343 

Bentley's Sweet .343 

Black, Coal 347 

Blue Pearmain 343 

Bonam .343 

Broadwell 313 

Brier's Sweet 358 

Buckingham 343 

Bullocks Pippin 341 



Calef Sweet 344 

Campfield a36 

Canada Reinette 344 

Cannon Pearmain 344 

Carter's Blue 336 

Cayuga Red Streak ... .356 

Champlain 334 

Chenango Strawberry 337 

Cherry Crab 359 

Chicago 359 

Cogswell 344 

Cooper's Market 344 

Cornell's Fancy 3,37 

Coral " ' ' ". 359 

Currant !!..!., 359 

Cullasaga ^44 

Danver's Winter Sweet ..!!.!! !344 

Dartmouth 3,59 

Disharoon 344 

Domine 345 

Duchess of Oldenburg ...!337 

Dutch Mignonne .345 

Dyer 3:37 

English Red Streak 345 

English Russet 345 

English Sweet 352 

Early Sweet Bough 333 



510 



IKDEX. 



Esopus Spitzenburgh 345 

Equinetdy 343 

Fallawater 345 

Fall Bough 336 

Fall Cheese of Virginia 339 

Fall Pippin 337 

Fall Queen 345 

FaZl Queen 343 

Fall Wine 338 

Family 333 

Fameuse 346 

Fanny 333 

Foundling 333 

Garden Eoyal 338 

Gate 342 

Golden Pippin of "Westchester Co. .342 

Golden Spice 337 

Golden Russet of Western N. Y. . .346 

Golden Sweet .333 

Granite Beauty 346 

Gravenstein 338 

Green Clieese 346 

Green Newtown Pippin 350 

Green Sweet 347 

Grimes' Golden 347 

Haas 345 

Hall 347 

Hawthornden 338 

Hay's 357 

Hewes' Virginia Crab 347 

Higbtop Sweet 333 

Hocking 335 

Hominy 341 

Honey Greening 347 

Hoover 347 

Hubbard ston Nonsuch . . , 347 

Hurlbut 347 

Hyslop 359 

Jefferies 338 

Jeniton 353 

Jersey Sweet 338 

Jewett's Fine Red 347 

Jonathan 348 

Johnson's Fine Winter 358 

Julian 333 

Jvlien 333 

Junaluskee 348 

Keswick Codlin 339 

King of Tompkins County 348 

Lady Apple 348 

Lady Crab 359 

Lady Elgin 359 

Lady's Sweet 348 

Lake Winter 359 

Large Red Siberian Crab 359 

Large Striped Winter Feai-main 3^9 

Large Yellow Siberian Crab 360 

Late Strawberry 339 

Large Yellow Bough 333 

Limber Twig 348 

LippincoWs Early 335 

Little Pearmain 341 

Little Rornanite 346 

Lowell ,339 

Lyman's Pumpkin Sweet 339 

McAffee's Nonsuch 349 

McCloud's Family .333 

Mangum 339 



Bonum 343 

Maiden's Blush 339 

Mann 349 

Marengo 360 

Melon. 349 

Menagere 340 

Milam 349 

Missouri Keeper 349 

Missouri Pippin 349 

Monmouth Pippin 349 

Montreal Beauty 360 

Moore's Sweet 349 

Mother 350 

Munson Sweet .350 

Myer's Nonpareil 340 

Newtown Pi ppin 350 

Newtown Spitzenburgh 350 

NewarTc Sweeting 336 

New York Pippin 343 

Nickajack 351 

Nodhead 347 

Northern Spy 351 

Oblong Siberian Crab 360 

Ohio Nonpareil 340 

Ohio Wine 338 

Orange Sweet 350 

Oettey 351 

Pewaukee 351 

Peck's Pleasant 351 

Phillip's Sweet 352 

Plumb's Cider 352 

Pomme Eoyale 337 

Pomme Grise 357 

Porter 340 

Poughkeepsie Russet 339 

Primate 334 

Pryor's Red 352 

Pumpkin Sweet 339 

Queen Anne 339 

Rambo 352 

Ramsdell's Sweet 352 

Rawle's Janet 353 

Red Astrachan 334 

Red Bietigheimer 340 

Red Canada 353 

Redling 344 

Red Russet 353 

Red Siberian Crab 360 

Red Spitzenburgh 340 

Red Sweet Pipinn 349 

Red Winter Pearmain. 3-'>3 

Reinette Canada 344 

Repka 334 

Rhode Island Grefening 353 

Ribston Pippin 353 

Richard's Graft 340 

Richfield Nonsuch .353 

Ridge Pippin 354 

Roman Stem 354 

Rome Beauty 341 

Roxbury Russet a54 

Sherwood's Fawiite 337 

Shiawassee Beauty 354 

Shockley 354 

Smith's Cider 354 

Smokehouse 355 

Snow 346 

Sops of Wine 341 



IN^DEX. 



611 



sterling Beauty 341 

Stevenson's Winter 355 

St. Lawrence 341 

Stump 3i 1 

Summer Hagloe 3 '4 

Summer Pippin a34 

Summer Queen 334 

Summer Rose 335 

Summer Sweet Paradise 3^35 

Sutton Beauty 355 

Swaar 355 

Sweet June 333 

Sylvan Sweet 360 

Talman's Sweet 355 

Tallow Pippin 339 

Tetofsky 335 

Tewksbury Winter Blush 355 

Titovka 335 

Titus Apple 3:!5 

Townsend 335 

Transcendent 360 

Tulpehocken 345 

Twenty Ounce 356 

Vandevere of New York 350 

Van Wyck 360 

Vermont Pumpkin Sweet 339 

Virginia Greening 356 

Wagener 356 

Washington Strawberry 341 

Wealthy 356 

Western Beauty 356 

Westfield Seek-no-further 356 

White Pippin 356 

White Winter Pearmain 357 

Whitney 360 

Wine 357 

William's Favorite a35 

William's Red 335 

Willow Twig 357 

Winter Rose 351 

Winter Sweet Paradise 337 

Winter Wine 357 

Wolf River 357 

Woolman's Long 351 

Yellow Bellflower 358 

Yellow Newtown Pippin 358 

Yellow Siberian Crab 361 

Yellow Transparent 336 

York Imperial 358 

Apricots. 

Albergo de Montgaraet 386 

Beaui^e ^l 386 

Blenheim 386 

Breda 386 

Canino Grosso 386 

Buhois 386 

Early Golden 386 

Early Masculine 387 

Early Moorpark 386 

Hemskirke 3S7 

Kaisha 387 

Large Early 387 

Montqamet 386 

Moorpark 387 

New Large Early 387 

Orange 387 

Peach 387 



Red Masculine 387 

Royal 387 

Siirdinian 387 

Ship ey 386 

St. Anibroise 387 

Turkey 387 

Berberries. 

Berberis dulci's 434 

Common Red 434 

Purple-Fruiteil 434 

Purple-Leaved 434 

Sweet-Fruited 434 

Variegated-Leaved 434 

Violet-Fruited 434 

White-Fruited 434 

Blackberries. 

Agawam 434 

Ancient Briton 434 

Dorchester 434 

Early Harvest 435 

Improved High Bush 434 

Kittatinny 435 

Lawton 435 

New Rochelle 435 

Snyder 435 

Stayman's Early 435 

Stone's Hardy ., 435 

Taylor's Prolific 445 

Wallace 435 

Wachusett Thornless 435 

Western Triumph 436 

Wilson's Early 435 

Clierries. 

Apple 390 

Belle de Choisy. 



.392 



Belle d'Orleans 

Belle Magnilique 392 

Bigarreau 390 

Black Eagle ^sgg 

Black Tartarian 388 

Carnation 392 

Cleveland Bigarreau 390 

Coe's Transparent " 388 

Delicate "388 

Donna Maria !!392 

Downer's Late Red '.M9 

Early Richmond : . 392 

Elkhwn 391 

Elton 3S9 

Empress Eugenie 393 

English 394 

Governor Wood 3S9 

Great Bigarreau 39O 

Gridlev 390 

Knight's Early Black 389 

Large Purple Guigne 389 

Late Duke 393 

Lieb 393 

Lonis Philippe 393 

May Duke 393 

Monstrense de Mezel 390 

Montmorency Larire-fruited 393 

Montmorency Ordinaire 393 

Morello 394 

Napoleon Bigarreau 390 

OhioBeauty 39O 



512 



Iiq^DEX. 



Olivet ...394 

Ked Jacket 391 

Reine Hortense 394 

Rockpoit Biganeau 391 

Boyal Ann 390 

Royal Duke 394 

Tradescani's Black Heart 391 

Windsor 391 

Yellow Spanish 390 

C'liestnats. 

American Chestnut 460 

Chinquapin 460 

Dwarf Chestnut 460 

Marron 460 

Marron de Lyon 460 

Spanish Chestnut 460 

Currants. 

Black Naples 419 

Cherry... 419 

Fay's Prolific 419 

La Versaillaise 420 

Lee's Black Prolific 420 

Long-Bunched Red. 420 

Prince Albert 420 

Red Dutch 420 

Short-Bunched Red 420 

White Dutch 420 

WhiteGrape 420 

Figs. 

Adam. 455 

Angelica 455 

Angeliqiie 455 

Brown Ischia 455 

Brown Turkey 455 

Brunswick 455 

Early Violet 455 

Pregussata 455 

White Genoa 455 

Filberts. 

Coburg. 460 

Cosford 460 

Dwarf Prolific 460 

Frizzled 461 

Red-Skinned 461 

White 461 

Gooseberries. 

English Varieties 421 

American Varieties 421 

American Seedling 421 

Downing 421 

Houghton's Seedling 421 

Pale Bed 42 1 

Smith's Improved 421 

Qrapes. 
Fordg7i Varieties— Blade or Purple. A^Q 

Foreign Varieties— Red 452 

Foi'eign Varieties— White 452 

Native Varieties- Black 436 

Native Varieties — Red 440 

Native Varieties— New & Untested . .^b 

Native Varieties— White 443 

Adirondack 445 

Agawam 440 

Alicante 450 

Allen's Hybrid 445 



Amber Queen .445 

Antoinette 450 

Arnold's No. 1 449 

Augusta . . 450 

August Giant 445 

Bacchus 446 

Barry 436 

Belinda 450 

Black Defiance 446 

Black Eagle 446 

Black Frontignan 450 

Black Hamburgh 451 

Black Palestine 450 

Bowood Muscat 452 

Brighton 440 

Buckland's Sweetwater 452 

Burnet 446 

Canada 446 

Carlotta 450 

Catawba 440 

Centennial 446 

Champion 437 

Champion Hamburgh 451 

Chasselas de Falloux 452 

Chasselas de Fontuinbleau 453 

Chasselas Musque 452 

Christine 439 

Clinton 437 

Concord 437 

Creveling 437 

Croton 446 

Cynthiana 437 

Delaware 441 

Diana 441 

Duchess 443 

Early Dawn 447 

Early Silver Frontignan 453 

Early Smyrna Frontignan 453 

Early Victory ." 447 

El Dorado 447 

Elsinburgh 437 

Elvira 447 

Empire State 443 

Essex 438 

Eugenia 450 

Eumelan 438 

Foster's White Seedling 453 

Gaertner 442 

General Delia Marmora 453 

Goethe. .• 442 

Golden Champion 453 

Golden Drop 447 

Golden Hamburgh 453 

Grizzly Frontignan 452 

Gros Colman 451 

Gros Moroc 451 

Harrison 450 

Hartford Prolific 438 

Herbemoat 438 

Herbert 438 

Highland 447 

Ida... 450 

lona 442 

Isabella 438 

Ives 439 

Ives'' Seedling .439 

Jnnesville 448 

Jefferson 448 



INDEX. 



513 



Jessica 448 

Jnia Muscat 451 

Lady 443 

Lady Downe's 451 

Lady Washington 443 

Lexi ngton 450 

Linden 450 

Lindley 442 

Martha 444 

Mapsasoit 442 

Maxatawney 444 

Merrimack 439 

Monroe 439 

Moore's Early 439 

Mrs. Prince's Black Muscat 452 

Muscat d' Aont 451 

Mnscat Hamburgh 451 

Muscat Lierval .'. 451 

Muscat Noir 450 

Muscat St. Laurent 450 

Naomi 448 

Niagara 444 

Noah 448 

Norton's Virginia ...439 

Norwood 449 

Oneida 449 

Ontario 449 

Oriental 449 

Othello 449 

Pocklington 444 

Prentiss ...444 

Primavis Froutignan 453 

Purple Coustantia 452 

Rebecca 444 

Rochester 442 

Rockingham 450 

Rogers' No. 1 442 

Rogers' No. 3 442 

Rogers' No. 4 440 

Rogers' No. 14 442 

Rogers' No. 15 440 

Rogers' No. 19 ; 439 

Rogers' No. 41 438 

Rogers' No. 43 436 

Rogers' No. 44 438 

Rogers' No. 53 443 

Rose Chasselas 452 

Royal Muscadine 453 

Salem 443 

Senasqna 449 

Syrian 454 

Tollman's Seedling 437 

Telegraph 439 

To Kalon 449 

Trenthani Black 452 

Triumph 449 

Union Village 449 

Vergeunes 450 

Victoria 4.50 

Walter 450 

Waverly 450 

White Frontignan 4.54 

White Muscat of Alexandria 454 

White Nice 454 

Wilder 440 

Wilmington Red 450 

Worden 440 

Wyoming Red 450 



lUnlberries. 

Black 436 

Everbearing 436 

Johnson 436 

Nectarines. 

Bost on 395 

Downton 395 

Early Newington 395 

Early Violet 395 

Eiruge 395 

Hardwicke's Seedling 395 

Hunt's Tawny ■. 395 

Lord Napier . . 396 

Lucombe's Black 395 

Pi tmaston Orange 396 

Red Roman 396 

Rivers' Orange 396 

Stanwick 396 

Victoria 396 

Violette Hative 395 

Oranges and otlier Tropical 
Fruits. 

Bergamot 457 

Chinese 457 

Cttrus Decumuna 457 

Citrus Limetta 458 

Citrus Limonium 458 

Custard Apple ^ 459 

Havana 457 

Lemon 458 

Lime 458 

Malta Blood 457 

Maltese 457 

Mandarin 457 

Myrtle-Leaved 457 

Otaheite 457 

Pomegranate 458 

Pawpaw 459 

St. Augustine 456 

St. Michaels 457 

Shaddock 457 

Tangerine 457 

Variegated-Loaved 457 

PeacJbes. 

Alexander 397 

Alexander Noblesse 397 

Barnard's Telloiv 409 

Beer's Smock 397 

Bellegarde 397 

Bergen's Yellow 397 

BiUyeu's Comet 397 

Billyeu's Late October 397 

Chinese Cling 397 

Cole's Early Red 398 

Columbia 398 

Cooledge's Favorite 398 

Conkiing 39S 

Crawford's Early 398 

Crawford p Late 398 

Crimson Galande 398 

Drnid Hill 399 

Early Beatrice 399 

Early Louise 399 

Early Newington Freestone 399 

Early Rivers ....399 

Early Royal George 397 

Early Silver 400 



514 



Iiq-DEX. 



Early Tillotson : 400 

Early York .....400 

Fiat Peach of China 405 

Fleita's 400 

Poster 400 

Freainaii . 400 

Georgo the Fonrlh .400 

Gosliawk 401 

Groesc Miirnouiie. 401 

Haii.es' Early..... 401 

Hale's Early 401 

Heath Cling. 401 

Heath Free .402 

Hill's Chili 401 

Honest John .. 402 

Indian Blood. 402 

Indian Peuch 398 

Jacques' Rareripe 402 

Kenrick's Heath 402 

Keyport White:.. 402 

Lady Parham 402 

La Grange 402 

Large Early York 402 

Large While Cling 403 

Late Admirable 403 

Lemon Cling 403 

Lord Palmerston , 403 

Magdala 403 

Malta 403 

Monstrense de Done 404 

Moore's Favorite 404 

Morris White 404 

Mor?^ White Rareripe 404 

Mountain Rose 404 

Mrs. Brett 404 

Nectari ne . 404 

Noblesse 404 

Oldinixon Cling 405 

Oldmixton Freestone 405 

Peen-To 405 

Picquet's Late 405 

President 405 

Princess of Wales 405 

Red-cheeked Melocoton 405 

Reeves' Favorite 406 

Rivers' Early York 406 

Rodman's Cling 406 

Salway 406 

Serrate Early York 400 

Shanghai 406 

Smock Freestone 406 

Snow 406 

Steadley 407 

Stump the World 407 

Surpasse Melocoton 407 

Susquehanna 407 

Teton de Venus 403 

Thurber 407 

Tippecanoe Cling 407 

Troth's Early 408 

Wnger 408 

Walburton Admirable 408 

Ward's Late Free 408 

Waterloo 408 

Wheatland 408 

Yellow Alberge 409 

Yellow Rareripe 409 

Yellow St. John 400 



Pears. 

Abbott 378 

Ananas d' Ete , 365 

Andre Desportes 362 

Andrews 378 

Baronne de Mello 366 

Bartlett 362 

Belle Epine Dumas — 374 

Belle de Flandres 369 

Belle Lucrative 3fi6 

Bergamot Esiieren 379 

Besi de Montigny 379 

Besi Esperen 379 

Beurre Bosc 366 

Benrre Boussock 368 

Beurre Brown 378 

Benrre Clairgeau 366 

Benrre d'Albret 378 

Beurre d'Amanlis 378 

Beurr6 d'Angleterre 378 

Beurre d'Angon 366 

Beurr6 d'Aremberg 375 

Beurre de Brignais 366 

Beurre de I'Assomption 378 

Beurre de Nantes 382 

Beurre de Waterloo 380 

Beurre Diel 367 

Beurre Duiand 378 

Beurre Easter 374 

Beurre Giffard 363 

Beurre Golden of Bilboa 378 

Beurre Gris d' Hiver Nonveau 375 

Beurre Hardy 367 

Benrre Maxion 378 

Beurre Moi re 379 

Beurre Picquery 374 

Beurre Snperfin .367 

Black Worcester 379 

Bloodgood 363 

Bonne de Malines 377 

Bonne de Puits Ansault 367 

Brandy wine 363 

Buffum .... 368 

Butter Pear 369 

Caen de France 379 

Catiliac 379 

Chinese Pear 371 

Clmrch .....379 

Clapp's Favorite 363 

Coit's Beurre 379 

Columbia 375 

Comte deFlandre 379 

Comtesse de Lumay 379 

Conseiller de la Cour 372 

Dana's Hovey 375 

D'Alencon 3'^5 

Dearborn's Seedling 363 

Des Nonnes 366 

De Tongres 380 

Dix 380 

Doctor Lindley. . 380 

Doctor Reeder 368 

Doyenne Boussock 368 

Dovenn6 d' Alencon 375 

Doyenne d'Et6. .*. 364 

Doyenne d' Hiver 374 

Doyenne d' Hirer d'' Alencon 375 

Doyenn6 du Cornice 368 



IN^DEX. 



515 



Doyenn6 Gray 368 

Doyenne White. 3(59 

Due d' Aremberg 375 

Due de Bm^deanx 374 

Due de Brabant 380 

Dncliesse crAnj^oiileme 369 

Diichesse de Berry d' Ete 364 

Dnchesse d'Orleans 380 

Dnchesse Precoce 369 

Diihamel du Monceau 376 

Edmunds 380 

Emile de Hey?t 369 

Eugene Appert 380 

Flem=sh Beauty 369 

Fondante Bihorel 380 

Fondante d'Automm 366 

Frederick Clapp 370 

Fulton 370 

Gansel'a Bergamot 381 

Gansel's Seckel 381 

General Taylor 381 

General Totlebeii 381 

Glout Morceau 376 

Gratioli of Jersey 381 

Gregoire Bordillon 381 

Henri Desportes 381 

Henry the Fourth 381 

Hoosic 370 

Howell 370 

Jalousie de Foutenay Vendes 381 

Jones 371 

Josephine de Malines 376 

Jules Bivort 881 

Keiffer 371 

Kingsessing 382 

Kirtland 371 

Lawrence 376 

Le Conte 371 

Louise Bonne de Jersey 372 

Madam Eliza 382 

Madelaine 364 

Manning's Eliznhelh 364 

Marechal de la Cour 372 

Marie Benoist 382 

Marie Louise 382 

Marie Louise d' Uccles .382 

Maurice Desportes 382 

Merriam 372 

Mount Vernon 376 

Niintais 382 

NePlusMenris 366 

Nonveau Poiteau 382 

Onondaga 372 

Osband's Summer 364 

Oswego Beurre 382 

Ott 383 

Paradise d' Antomne 372 

Petite Mariruerite 364 

Pitmaston Ducliess 373 

Pius the 9th 383 

Piatt 383 

Pound 377 

Pratt 373 

President Mas 383 

Rapelje's Seedling 383 

Rosteizer 365 

Rutfer 383 

Seckel 873 



Slieldon 373 

Souvenir d'Esperen .'.383 

Souvenir du Congres 365 

St. Gliislain 333 

St. Michael Archangel 383 

SL Nicholas 380 

Stevens' Genesee 373 

Summer Vergalieu 364 

Swan's Otange 372 

'i'y=?ori 365 

Urbanisle , 374 

Uvedale's St. Germain 377 

Vergalieu 369 

Vicar of Winkfield 377 

Washington 374 

Williams'' Bonchretien 362 

Winter Nelis .377 

Plums. 

Autumn Gage 410 

Belle de Seprembre 416 

Bleecker's Gage 411 

Blue Imperatrice 411 

Bradshaw 411 

Bryanton's Gage 411 

Coe's Golden Drop. 411 

Columbia 411 

De Caradeuc 418 

Denniston's Superb 411 

Duane's Purple 412 

Fellemberg 412 

General Hand . .412 

German Prune 412 

Goliath 412 

Green Gage 412 

Huling's Superb 412 

Ickworth Imperatrice — 413 

Imperial Gage ^ 413 

Jefferson... ., 413 

July Green Gage !.'...!.!.. 413 

Langdon 418 

Lawrence's Favorite 413 

Lombard 414 

Lucomb's Nonsuch 414 

i Magnum Bonum, Yellow 414 

' McLatighlin 4l4 

Miner 418 

Munroe Gage 414 

Newman 418 

Ontario 414 

Orange 414 

Orleans 415 

Oulin's Golden Gage 415 

Pond's Seedling 415 

Prince Eiisrlebert 415 

Prince's Yellow Gage 415 

Prune d'Agen 415 

Quackenboss 415 

Reine Claude de Bavay 416 

Saint Catherine 416 

Saint Lawrence 416 

Shropshire Damson,... 416 

Smitli's Orleans 41(» 

Victoria 416 

Waeenheim 416 

Washing; on 416 

Weaver 418 

Wild Goose 418 



516 



I^-DEX. 



Yellow Gage 417 

Quinces. 

Apple Shaped or Orange 384 

Angers 384 

Champion . 385 

Chinese 385 

Japan 385 

Pear-shaped 385 

Portugal 385 

Kea's Seedling 385 

Raspberries. 

American Black Cap 423 

Baumforth's Seedling 426 

Belle de Fontenay 425 

Belle de Paliuau 422 

Brandy wine 423 

£jinckle''s Orange. : 423 

Caroline 423 

Clarke 422 

Crimson Beauty 426 

Cuthbert 424 

Doolittle 423 

Fastolf 422 

Franconia 422 

French 422 

Gregg 424 

Hansen 426 

Herstine 422 

Highland Hardy 424 

Hopkins 426 

Hornet 422 

Hudson River Antwerp 422 

Joslyn's Black Cap 423 

Knevett's Giant 423 

Lost Rubies 426 

Mammoth Cluster 424 

Marlboro 426 

McCormicTc 424 

Merville des Quarti-c Saipons 425 

Miami.... 424 

Montclair 426 

Ohio Everbearing 425 

Orange 423 

Parnell 423 

Philadelphia 424 

Queen of the Market 424 

Red Antwerp. 423 

Bed Antwerp of the Hudson River . . 422 

Reliance 424 

Seneca Black Cap 424 

Shaffer's Colossal 426 

Souhegan 425 

Snperb 427 

Susqueco 423 

Thwack 425 

Turner 425 

Tvler 427 

Vice-Pi^esident French 422 

Victoria 423 

Welsh 427 

Strawberries. 

Alxnne Varieties 430 

American Varieties 427 

Foreign Vai^fies 430 

Eautbois Varieties.. 431 



New Varieties 431 

Alpine Busli 430 

Alpine Wood 430 

Autumnal Galande 431 

Belle Bordelaise 431 

Bidwell 427 

Big Bob 433 

Black Defiance 431 

Boyden's No.ZQ 433 

Captain Jack 431 

Charles Downing '. 427 

Crescent Seedling 427 

Crystal City 432 

Cumberland Triumph 428 

Duchesse 428 

Duncan 432 

Early Canada 433 

Finch's Prolific 433 

Forest Rose 432 

Golden Defiance 432 

Golden Queen 430 

Great American 432 

Green Prolific 428 

Gypsy 433 

Hai t's Minnesota 433 

Hervey Davis 432 

Hovey 428 

James Vick 4a3 

Jersey Queen 432 

Jucunda 430 

Kentucky 428 

KirMood 433 

Lennig's White 428 

Longfellow 432 

Manchester 433 

Miner's Great Prolific 433 

Monarch of the West 429 

Monstrous Hautbois 431 

Montreuil 431 

Mount Vernon 433 

Neunan's Prolific 429 

Nicanor 429 

Nigh's Superb 433 

Oliver Goldsmith 433 

Phelps' Seedling 433 

Pioneer 433 

Piper's Seedling 433 

President Wilder 429 

Primo 433 

Prouty's Seedling 433 

Royal Hautbois 431 

Seneca Queei; 433 

Selh Boyden ; 433 

Sharplrss 429 

Triomphe de Gand 430 

Triple Crown 433 

Trollope's Victoria 430 

Warren 433 

Wilson's Albany 429 

Windsor Chief. 430 

TTaliiuts. 

Black Walnut 461 

Butternut 461 

Dwarf Prolific Walnut 461 

Encrlish Walnut. 461 

Hickory Nut 461 

Madeira Nut , — 461 




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